Social Work Code Of Ethics

Introduction

This report will outline the key aspects of The British Association of Social Work Code of Ethics and identify the importance in relation to social work. The use of multidisciplinary working will be explored before three different members of a multidisciplinary team are identified to show how their approaches may vary and what their significance could be. A piece of current legislation will be investigated and evaluated before accountability and responsibility are defined and linked to social work and a duty of care. A clear definition of both civil and criminal accountability will be provided and both terms will be compared. The report will conclude with a summary of key findings. The British Association of Social Work Code

Principles- Challenge discrimination, recognise diversity, distribute resources, challenge unjust policies and practices, work in solidarity.

• Professional Integrity

Value- Respect and uphold values and principles of the profession whilst acting in an honest, reliable and trustworthy manner.

Principles- Uphold the values and reputation of the profession, be trustworthy, maintain professional boundaries, make considered professional judgements and be professionally accountable. (British Association of Social Workers, 2018).

A code of ethics is essential for social workers and contributes to obtaining competence in the role. Ethical dilemmas are commonly found within social work and can occur in everyday life, the guidance of the code of ethics helps to minimise ethical dilemmas and find resolutions (LSU, 2015). Having an established set of values and principles can assist social workers throughout their careers and is a good refence point for basic standards of practice that need to be adhered to. Social workers are also enabled to make good ethical decisions relating to the care and services they provide their clients (National Association of Social Workers,

Effective decision making relies on multi-disciplinary working. The approaches of the police and the teacher assist greatly in providing a full picture of the child and family. Power dynamics will usually mean that the social worker is responsible for the final decision after conducting interviews with the teachers, police, family and friends to assess and review the situation. Changes to government legislation calling for a multidisciplinary approach occurred following the amount of child deaths such as Victoria Climbie (See Appendix One) where a lack of communication between professionals was shown to be contributory to the tragic outcomes (Graduate Prospects,