How I Changed My Life

Social work is a profession which has the objective to improve the quality of life of other individuals. The NASW code of ethics is used as a guideline for social workers and the interaction they have with their clients. In addition, within the code of ethics, there are six values, which include service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Therefore, going into the social work field it is important to understand that your

Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.

A career in Social Work requires conviction to personal values that reflect and uphold the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the foundation of social work, as the trade has an innate obligation to endorse ethical principles and basic values to advocate for the wellness of others. The core values adopted by all social workers, as distinguished by NASW, are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. As a Clinical Social Worker, I will honor the NASW Code of Ethics in addition to my personal values of respect, self determination, responsibility, motivation, and wisdom. My personal values complement the NASW Code of Ethics and will resonate in my work as a social worker.

We advocate for everyone to have the opportunity to reach their full potential in life. Social workers uphold dignity and worth of the Person by treating people with respect no matter their differences or circumstances. We also support and empower self-determination so the clients are able to meet their own needs. Social workers understand and stress the importance of human relationships by strengthening relationships and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities (NASW Code of Ethics). Integrity is behaving in a trustworthy manner by being honest, responsible, and upholding the social work profession mission, values, and ethical principles/standards. This is something we must be able to uphold in both our profession and personal lives. Lastly, social workers must be competent in the profession in order to be effective. Social workers should continually seek professional development to increase their knowledge and skills. Since change is inevitable, professional development should be an ongoing practice for social

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has written a code of ethics that serves many purposes. The main purpose is to identify the core ethics and values that provide the foundation for the profession. It details six basic principles for social workers to follow: service, social justice, dignity and worth, human relationships, integrity, and competence (National Association of Social Workers, 1999). The code acts as an ethical guide for students, and those professionals just

The NASW stands for the National Association of Social Workers. The NASW has made a code of ethics for all social workers to follow. The mission of practicing social workers is social justice for everyone, service to anyone in need, treating everyone with dignity and recognize their worth, understand the importance of human relationships, integrity in everything we’re involved in, and competence in the field. The NASW code of ethics has 6 purposes for social workers.

The values set by their profession bind social workers by guiding their actions and decision-making in a professional setting. They are to respect the dignity and worth of persons, to strive for social justice, to offer humanity service, and to show integrity, confidentiality, and competence in their professional practice (CASW, 2005, p. 4).

My understanding of the social work profession and its core values is that social workers are caregivers, they provide assistance to people in need, and they address social problems. The social worker goal is the improvement of society to ameliorate the lives of individuals in need. The social work profession mission is to enhance the well-being of people and to assist them in meeting their basic needs, with particular emphasis on the needs of the poor, and the vulnerable individual. The Social Work profession has six core values. These core values are the foundation of the social work profession. The social worker incorporates these core values into his daily practices. Service to others is one of the fundamental values of social work. Social workers goal is serving others and putting the needs of their clients ahead of their own. Social justice is another core value of social work. Social workers aim at improving the lives of the disadvantaged, vulnerable people who are less fortunate or unable to advocate for themselves. Social workers understand the essential value of every human life, regardless of ethnic background, cultural differences or religious beliefs. Their goal is to respect the dignity and worth of every person. Another key value of social work is integrity. The social workers conduct themselves in a trustworthy, honest, and responsible manner at all times. Competence is another important core value of the social work profession. The

Social workers are responsible for human physical and emotional well-being. In order to help people, social workers have to make their decisions based on strong moral and ethical values. As claims DuBois B. (2009) “Social Work is a values - based profession. Values reflect preferences and inform choices” ( p.105).

When I first entered the field of social work at Southwest Mississippi Community College, I was clueless as to what the social work profession entailed. At Southwest MS Community College, we mostly focused on perquisites and a few classes related to family. After, leaving Southwest MS Community College and entering Jackson State University, I realized my previous college did not teach me anything relating to the field of social work. However, my entry in my first class Ethics and Values at Jackson State University taught me about the six core values in social work, such as service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Upon, my entry into JSU, Bachelors of Social Work (BSW) program, I understood that social work was not about assisting only children. There is masses of people who need, social workers to advocate for better housing, food, medical care and other basic necessities to survive everyday life.

Be Knowledgeable of interventions applicable to one’s specialty, depending on your specialty there might be a variety of different interventions that are extremely important to not only understand in theoretical terms, but also in practical application. Developing a sense of empathy is extremely important as a Social Worker for without it you will have an unending series of difficulties as you attempt help others work through their problems without fully being able to understand their point of view on a given

The six core values of social work are integrity, social justice, competence, dignity and worth of the individual, service, and importance of human relationships. It is vital that a social worker shows that they have integrity, meaning that they should have trustworthy tendencies. Social workers must entice social justice. They should assure that social change is okay and be there for those who are considered oppressed. Social workers should always remain competent and be willing to expand their knowledge and use it to the best of their abilities. Having dignity and knowing the worth of the clients is very important. Social workers should always remain respectful no matter the situation. The goal of a social worker is to provide service

Sociology wasn’t something that I was familiar with throughout my life. However, now that I know the basics of sociology, I can identify the various ways to study behaviors. These forces have molded who I have become as a person and how I interact with society. Understanding how I have been affected by my immediate surroundings is a significant part of a better understanding how I have been changed by the greater society. All through this semester, I have begun to reminisce back on my life and pull apart the different ways that I have been affected and how they can be looked at sociologically.

The social work profession consists of the six core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These core values are portrayed within the roles of this profession by assessing and evaluating client’s needs, advocating for improving community resources, managing crisis situations, providing therapeutic support, and referring client’s to beneficial services. As well as, developing a dual client relationship to strengthen the helping process and treating each client ethically. Social workers are constantly progressing their professional expertise. They do this

These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective: services, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence.” (p. 1) In addition to; being in the social work profession you will work with three general practice skills, which are Micro skills, Mezzo skills and Macro skills. According to Ashman &