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Social Work Code Of Ethics Essay

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The social work code of ethics is a document put in place to govern how social workers work with their clients. Like all other professions this code was established with the intention to instill morals and principles in workers conduct. That being said a code of ethics in place does not mean that workers will always act in its best interest (Martin, Vaught, & Soloman, 2010, p. 62). Therefore, the codes principles must be respected and understood by the worker before it can materialized in their behavior. It is not just simple enough to follow this code as if they were rules. Instead, the code of ethics for social workers and aspiring social workers is a way of life. Being a social worker or aspiring to be one can only be done when the worker …show more content…

3). Furthermore, it also means caring for the needs and empowerment of people who may be able to speak for themselves for reasons such as: poverty, health conditions, disability, and oppression (Code of Ethics, 2005, p. 3). Living ethically comes with it a desire to treat all clients and people from various backgrounds with respect and to not stand for discrimination (Code of Ethics, 2005, p. 3). Living ethically and by the social work code also means valuing dignity and worth of persons, putting service to humanity before personal goals, being honest in ones dealings, using confidentiality appropriately, and competency in practice (Code of Ethics, 2005, p. 4, 5. 6, & 7). For a worker it is clear that simply following the code would not provide the amount of support clients needed, but instead it needs to be a part of who they are. The reason for this is that the code leaves a lot of the decision making up to the workers discretion. Therefore, the code assumes that the worker will make decisions in a way that reflects the codes interest, as well as their chosen organization. The only way this can be done is if the code is not just a document, but a way of

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