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Importance of social work values and ethics
Importance of social work values and ethics
Importance of social work values and ethics
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With this week’s topic being values and ethics, I decided to take a more purposeful approach to identifying how social work’s ethical principles are practiced at my practicum. Service can be seen 24/7 at my practicum, since counselors are available to answer phones around the clock. The fact that all of the counselors are volunteers, even at the odd times of the day, really represents this value and putting the needs of the person on the other end of the crisis line above self-interest. The counselors also present the value of dignity and worth of a person, because we are trained to put aside judgments, to not problem solve, and to allow the caller to talk through whatever is on their mind. Throughout the call, unless it is absolutely necessary …show more content…
Call logs are for all volunteers to read, but only when they are on site. Calls are discussed between shift partners and supervisors, but outside of the call room, nothing personal is discussed. I make a conscious effort to not talk about any specific experience I have had unless I am talking to my field instructor about a question that arose from the experience. Every person at my practicum demonstrates the sixth ethical principle, competence. All counselors and paid workers go through extremely thorough training that involves numerous role-plays to prove they are capable to counsel a caller through a real crisis situation. Currently I am in training, so I can still working on my competence. After reflecting how the principles can be seen at my practicum, I find it interesting that everyone practices the principles without necessarily being a social worker. In fact, I assume the vast majority of people that are counselors at my practicum do not have any social work background, aside from the training and expectations they are to meet in the environment of my practicum. Personally, I think I need more experience with putting the principle of social justice to
Social workers have many tools at their hand to enabling personal values to remain in check. The general practitioners communication with supervisors and collages can provide guidance on this issue. They can attend professional workshops pertaining to subjects such as ethics, and maintaining professional relationships. Social workers can continually evaluate their own values and beliefs and seek professional help such as therapy when
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
Ethical Issues in Social Work I will provide practical help for new social workers to help them understand and deal with ethical issues and dilemmas which they will face. There are many ethical issues which are important to social work, but I feel that these are all covered by the care value base. The care value base Was devised by the care sector consortium in 1992, this was so that the workers in health and social care had a common set of values and principles which they would all adhere to. It is important because for the first time the social care sector had a clear set of guidelines from which ethical judgements could be made. The care value base is divided into 5 elements - The care value base covers - Equality and Diversity - Rights and responsibilities - Confidentiality - Promoting anti Discrimination - Effective communication Equality and Diversity Carers must value diversity themselves before they can effectively care for the different races, religions and differently abled people they will come across in their caring profession.
In the social work practice, social workers should abide by and respect the protocol of their particular organization. The first ethical standard I would like to discuss is that a social worker having cultural competence and social (NASW, 1999). A social worker must possess the knowledge of values, customs, tradition and history just to name a few in order to have success with clients that may identify as something other than their own identity. Culture directs impacts human behavior. Within this case study, due to Mrs. Sanchez’s culture, she struggled to assimilate with the American culture and this included her being able to learn the English language. Her culture was very important to her and I respect that. As a social worker, I would have
Social workers still need to be proponents of peace. An example of personal value would be over hearing negative comments in the hall about a client’s, or anyone else’s, racial background, sexual orientation, or mental illness. In these moments a social worker must decide and be prepared to make a stand. Based on this choice to respond or not will show others where one stands and what values they hold strong to not just a social working setting but in everyday life. A common theme throughout this capstone is that a social worker gives a voice to the voiceless even if we do not agree with the choices being made.
The following paper aims to discuss and analyze the way in which my personal values intersect with the values I hold as most important within the profession of social work. It would stand to reason that these values would stand on common ground; however, there are places where my personal and professional values diverge. These conflicts may prove to be problematic within my chosen career unless I find a way to prioritize my values, or find ways for them to work harmoniously with each other.
Works Cited Banks, S., 2006. Ethics and Values in Social Work. 3rd ed. of the year. Hampshire, England.
Each principle offers a source of information and examples that help students to comphren and learns rules, strategies and with clear examples help to developt a positive practice that provide student to understand how to face with some conflicts and dilemmas in social work practices. The Ethical Principles Screen (EPS) consider seven important and basic points that all social worker need to analalyze before to solve any ethical
According to the Preamble of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, “the primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” National Association of Social Workers. (approved 1996, revised 1999, 2008). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Washington, DC: Author. The ethical considerations of the Bruff Case as presented by Hermann and Herlihy (2006), are clearly defined and set forth Code of Ethics; additionally, the Code provides guidance to counselors on dealing with issues which might give rise to a violation due to a conflict of beliefs.
Shared values are essential in the creating a successful relationship between the client and social worker. Social workers operate within society, not only to assist the individual but to create a more cohesive society. Values and ethics permeate the whole of social work practice and the society within which it practices (Shardlow 1989). Values are afforded a high position within social work, this is highlighted in: “Social work is a professional activity. Implicit in its practice are ethical principles which prescribe the professional responsibility of the social worker” (British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Code of Ethics). However, there is a danger that any list of values will become something which is quoted as opposed to a useful tool for practice. Values can be helpful as they enable the social worker to analyse their practice in relation to the expectations of the law and the needs of the people they work with.
The social work profession and its Code of Ethics dictate that social workers must act in the best interest of the client, even when those actions challenge the practitioner’s personal, cultural and religious values. In practice; however, ethical decision-making is more complex than in theory. As helping professionals, social workers are constantly faced with ethical decision-making or ethical dilemmas. As noted by Banks (2005), an ethical dilemma occurs “when a worker is faced with a choice between two equally unwelcome alternatives that may involve a conflict of moral principles, and it is not clear what choice will be the right one” (as cited in McAuliffe & Chenoweth, 2008, p. 43). In addition, ethical decision-making is a process that
Banks, S (2006). Ethics and values in social work. (3rd ed). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
All social workers are beholden to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. Professional ethics are the main core of social work. The profession has an obligation to articulate its basic values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. The code is composed of thematic sections that outline a social worker’s responsibility to clients, colleagues, employers, and the profession. Some responsibilities that a social worker has to a client are that the clients are their primary responsibility, fostering maximum self-determination in clients, respecting the privacy of clients, keeping information that has been shared during the course of their duties confidential and charging fees for services that are fair and considerate
Prior to having the class of Professional Values and Ethics, I assumed I understood the basic concepts of what defines a professional who has competence of values and ethics. Nevertheless, by being enrolled in this course, I have gained great knowledge of which professional values and ethical principles must be held by a social worker, which I did not know before. Progressively in this class, by learning professional values and ethics, my motivation to succeed as an upcoming social worker has gotten stronger.
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