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The importance of social work ethics
The importance of social work ethics
-principles of ethics in relation to social work practice
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Social work exists inextricably within the presence of ethics and values. Human rights and other values central to social work call for highly idealistic praxis, defining contemporary best practice. Yet, social workers operating in Australian health face dilemmas of meeting at times, untenable ideals within the constraints of exceedingly regulated organisations. Policies, past and present, impact practice and often undermine the principles contingent to social work (Ife, 2008,pp.8). Regardless, social workers are compelled to uphold the ethics and values of their profession. Balance must be struck between competing factors, a task that is not entirely achievable in certain contexts (Dominelli, 2012). In this assignment, review of rural health and the level of autonomy it affords professionals will take place. Emphasis will be given to the controversial area of indigenous health. I aim to demonstrate that the reality of social work practice in Australian health is vastly different from the moral platform from which it is envisioned, whilst also acknowledging that this platform is indispensible to the integrity of contemporary practice in difficult circumstances. The Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) Code of Ethics (2010) proposes three core values of Social Work, respect for persons, social justice and professional integrity (pp.12). These core values establish “ethical responsibilities” for the social worker (AASW, 2010, pp.12), specifically, the value of respect for persons, which sustains the intrinsic worth of all human beings as well as the right to wellbeing and self determination consistent with others in society (AASW, 2010,p.12). This Code of Ethics stipulates the duty of care a social worker must provide, a... ... middle of paper ... ...atly, was undoubtedly ruined by the diet and stress she experienced as a result of forcible removal by welfare workers not dissimilar to myself. Yet, this inescapable dilemma only reinforces my striving to achieve the ideals demonstrated by my profession. These ethics, complex and often at conflict with the reality of welfare are the light that guides my professional practice through the perils of historic white shame. In summary, Indigenous health and the role of social workers in the rural environment are not without their complexities. As demonstrated, obvious issues of autonomy and conflicts of core professional values with the practical delivery of social health policy exist. Whilst the modern social worker faces ethical dilemmas daily, it is the core values and ethics of the profession that help those hindered by complexities to operate within best practice.
The topic for our research paper is oppression against women in the Indian Act. Discrimination against Aboriginal people has been a key issue for many years; however society generally skims the surface of this act and tends to give lip service to it without acknowledging the deeper issue of how these oppressions come with it. In the beginning of our research we quickly made a parallel between the oppression of Aboriginal women and the injustices they face and the breakdown in Aboriginal families and communities. As future social workers working from an anti-oppressive practice perspective the proposed research will help acquire the knowledge in building transformative politicized social work. Our team feels that by focusing on the female gender and how these women throughout history have been oppressed we will be able to perform our roles as social workers from a truly empathetic position; thus our future work with all aboriginal people will be more effective.
The National Association of Social Work's Code of Ethics is not only something that is crucial to someone in the field of Social Work but can also be applied to everyday life. These values in which the Code of Ethics mandates professionals to use are very important in knowing how to help clients in bettering their lives, and in help society as a whole become a better place. Service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence are all the core values of Ethics and should be learned and practiced by all, not only Social Workers (NASW, 2008).
National Association of Social Workers [NASW]. (1998). The New NASW Code of Ethics Can Be Your Ally: Part I. Retrieved from: http://www.naswma.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=96
National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington DC: Author.
However, considerable differences can be found based on the population, isolation, limited services, and challenges relating to transportation and weather, as well as the various aspects associated with adapting to the role of being a social worker in a small community. Kirmayer and Valaskakis (2008) suggest that the social origins of prevailing mental health problems require social solutions and when applying conventional models of service and approaches to health promotion rethinking is required if they are to be consonant with Aboriginal realities, values, and aspirations. For both urban and rural practice it is important to remember that ‘one size fits all’ approaches often fail, because they ignore the local dynamics and diversity (Kirmayer & Valaskakis, 2008). Recognizing and respecting these differences allow social workers to enter the context of their practice with both context awareness and context sensitivity (Delaney & Brownlee, 2009). In urban settings and rural settings, health centers need to attend to the issue of cultural diversity and prevention and health promotion strategies also need to be tailored to reflect the cultural uniqueness of the individuals and community in which a health program is being established (Smye & Mussell, 2001). Despite the many challenges faced by northern social workers, these represent an opportunity to be creative and to
Personally, I think the holistic nature of Aboriginal approaches should be adopted into all social work. Specifically, wholeness and balance in contrast to the problem-solving approach. While Aboriginal social workers still must help their clients solve problems, the problem-solving approach is rooted in a western individualism. It aims to ‘diagnose’ clients with a problem, solve it, and then disregard them. Wholeness and balance are more slow-paced and long term. They focus on individual and family needs but also examine the impact of social work decisions on the community and on the earth. Furthermore, this is beneficial because it reflects Aboriginal collectivism and the vitality of community health for the wellbeing of
As a social worker, ethical practice is a very important aspect of the profession. Even when the ultimate goal is to be ethical at all times, it is not unheard of for situations to arise that lead to an ethical issues and dilemmas. Royse (2008) states that an ethical dilemma is not about selecting between what is right vs. wrong, but deciding between two conflicting ideas. Many of these predicaments happen the area that is “in-between totally right and totally wrong” (Royse, 2008, p. 51). When a situation arises that goes against social work ethics the decision needs to be made as to which one would in a sense be the better option, the least unethical choice. It is necessary to be aware of any ethical dilemmas, especially in research studies working with human
The National Association of Social Workers. (2008). Code of Ethics (English and Spanish). Retrieved July 7, 2014, from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code /code.asp
Bennett, B., Green, S., Gilbert, S., & Bessarab, D. (2013).Our Voices: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Work. South Yarra, Victoria: Palgrave Macmillan.
Social work practice is a profession where it works alongside the ‘code of ethics’, these consist of formal statements which represent values of the professional community. The national associations such as Britain state the core values within this field are human dignity and worth, social justice, service to humanity (human rights), integrity and competence. The professional field is regulated by the ‘British Association of Social Work’ (BASW). The core values within social work are huma...
This paper will explore what the primary mission of social work as a professional means to me. Through self-reflection of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, I will delve into why I chose social work as a career, the type of social worker I want to become, and ponder what challenges and obstacles may impede my chosen path.
According to NASW Delegate Assembly (2008), social work bases its profession on a set of core values. These core values include: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (NASW Delegate Assembly, 2008). Social workers like school counselors have to follow a set of professional guidelines. These are known as “the code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers.” The NASW serves six main purposes for their code of ethics. According to the National Association of Social Workers (2008), these purposes are: “1) identifying core values on which social work’s mission is based, 2) summarizes broad ethical principles that reflects the profession’s core values and have a set of specific ethical standards that should be used to guide social work practice, 3) help social workers identify relevant considerations when professional conflict or ethical issues arise, 4) provide ethical standards where the general public can hold social work profession accountable, 5) helps bring understanding to people new to the field of social work’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards, 6) it expresses standards so that the social work profession itself can use this to assess whether social workers have engaged in unethical behavior” (NASW Delegate Assembly, 2008). Social workers must maintain professional ethical behavior toward a variety of activities. These activities include: “1) ethical responsibility to clients, 2) ethical responsibility to colleagues, 3) ethical responsibility in practice settings, 4) ethical responsibility as professions, 5) ethical responsibility to the social work profession, and 6) ethical responsibility to the broader society” (NASW
Been prejudice and bias the social worker will need to be thoughtful as the social work definition ‘promotes social change’ and having ‘respect for diversities are central to social work’. Under the statement of ethical principles, it states “Ethical awareness is a fundamental part of the professional practice of social workers.” (IFSW, 2014) “Their ability and commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of the quality of the service offered to those who use social work services” (IFSW,2014). Under the ANSAW code of ethics promotes “Members accurately inform the wider community about the services that they offer” (ANAZSW,2014, chapter 3) and do not misrepresent their knowledge, skills, statutory status, training, qualifications and experience.” “Members respect the worth and dignity of clients, and work in non-discriminatory ways that acknowledge the age, beliefs, culture, gender, marital, legal or family status, intellectual, psychological and physical abilities, race, religion, sexual orientation, and social and economic status of clients”. (ANAZSW,2014 chapter
When codes are not adhered to there can be serious repercussions involved for all (CCW 2002). Social work’s professional values are described in the British Association of Social Workers code of ethics. These are a set of moral principles used to set standards which regulates the social work profession. These offer a general guidance and as yet carry no sanction if broken (Shardlow 2002). An ethical code also contributes to the strengthening of professional identity. They add clarity to the tasks and should lead to greater ethical observance within the organisation, but the primary objective of the Code of ethics is the protection of clients (Banks
As a social worker, there are many core values to follow. Some of which include “Respect for human rights and dignity, promotion of social justice and human well being, recognizing the worth and uniqueness of every person, and the importance of the community” (C. Phillips, lecture, October 6, 2015). By following the core values, this will allow me to have a client-focused practice, which will cause a positive experience for both the clients and myself. Well-being consists of many