social work essay on values and ethics

Social Work at the Level of International Comparison pp 175–191 Cite as

Ethics and Ethical Values in Social Work and Their Meaning for International Social Work

• Kristin Sonnenberg 7  
• First Online: 17 September 2021

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The chapter introduces a broad definition to ethics and values in professional social work and sums up the main theoretical approaches to lay the foundation of the understanding and knowledge of social work ethical values. Furthermore, key documents on an international level will be introduced and their function and meaning as guidelines discussed. At the end of this part, examples from the Middle East area that are members of IFSW (2019) and Kurdistan-Iraq are given with regard to social work values and professional status. As a conclusion, the relevance of shared values and reflection for everyday work within international social work will be summed up.

• Ethical values
• Social work
• Codes of ethics

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For further discussion see the publication of Banks and Nohr 2012 , that offers a broad selection of cases and commentaries of practicing social work ethics around the world .

Example: By Bentham’s definition, everyone counts for one and no one for more than one; Mill argues that we should aim for the greatest good for the greatest number of people; these two principle conflict with each other ( utility and justice as fairness ) if, e.g. action 1 produces a large amount of good (happiness) for two people and none for eight; and action 2 produces slightly less total happiness, but distributed it equally between ten people (p. 51).

The Social Work Action Network, www.socialworkfuture.org , places ‘social justice’ as a key value.

In her work Banks offers a well-structured table to contrast principle and character-based approaches, see 2012. p. 70.

DBSH = German Professional Association for Social Workers and Social Pedagogues.

BASW = British Association of Social Work.

First version in 1976 (Baum 1996 , p. 18).

Her earlier works list four functions, the last one listed above is new, see Banks 1995 , pp. 73–89; Banks 1998 , p. 221.

The profession itself is still in a pioneer phase since the introduction of the social work studies in 2014/15 in Slemani. The first BA Social Work studies in Iraqi-Kurdistan were established at the University of Salahadin in Erbil in 2008/09, see Ghaderi and Saleh Karim 2019 , p. 177). At other universities, social work is part of sociology, e.g. at the University of Dohuk (see UoD 2019).

https://www.socialwatch.org/node/831 , accessed: October 7, 2019.

https://www.uob.edu.bh/en/index.php/colleges/college-of-arts/social-sciences/102-ba-in-sociology , accessed: October 7, 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cause/Social-Workers-Syndicate-in-Lebanon-210432256016003/ , accessed 08.10.2019.

ibid. Lebanon facebook page, ‘social responsibility’ is listed twice within the original source.

https://www.iaswg.org/

Paper prepared by Salah Sedeeq Saeed Director of Access to Justice Program, Erbil Office, 2016, unpublished pdf version.

Banks, S. (1995). Ethics and Values in Social Work . London: Macmillan.

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Banks, S. (2012). Ethics and Values in Social Work (4th ed.). Palgrave: London.

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DBSH (Eds.). (2014). Berufsethik des DBSH. https://www.dbsh.de/fileadmin/redaktionell/pdf/Sozialpolitik/DBSH-Berufsethik-2015-02-08.pdf . Accessed 12 Dec 2019.

Ghaderi, C., & Saleh Karim, L. (2019). Social Work with refugees in Kurdistan Region in Iraq. In M. Pfaller-Rott, A. Kallay, & D. Böhler (Eds.), Social Work with migrants and refugees (pp. 163–185). Ostrava: University of Ostrava.

IASSW & IFSW (2004). Global Standards for Social Work Education and Training. https://www.-aiets.org/global-standards-for-social-work-education-and-training/ . Accessed 14 Oct 2019.

IFSW & IASSW (2014). Global Definition of Social Work. https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/ . Accessed 27 Aug 2019.

IFSW & IASSW (2018). Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles. Long version, 27.04.2018. https://www.ifsw.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Global-Social-Work-Statement-of-Ethical-Principles-IASSW-27-April-2018-1.pdf , Accessed 27 Aug 2019.

Payne, M. (1996). What is professional Social Work? Birmingham: Venture Press.

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Cinur Ghaderi

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Luqman Saleh Karim

Niyan Namiq Sabir

Zhiya Abbas Qader

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Sonnenberg, K. (2021). Ethics and Ethical Values in Social Work and Their Meaning for International Social Work. In: Ghaderi, C., Sonnenberg, K., Saleh Karim, L., Namiq Sabir, N., Abbas Qader, Z., Dünnebacke, L.M. (eds) Social Work at the Level of International Comparison. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-30394-5_13

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• Code of Ethics: The Core Values

Living Our Core Values

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Tricia B. Bent-Goodley, Living Our Core Values, Social Work , Volume 62, Issue 4, October 2017, Pages 293–295, https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swx046

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It is hard to turn on the television without being faced with a barrage of negative discourse. Yet it is vital to filter through the discourse to come to an informed understanding of the challenges facing the nation. As we watch the news unfold, sometimes wondering about the morality and ethics of what is being presented, the core values that ground the social work profession's code of ethics serve as a beacon of hope. Social work is rooted in an ethical code that guides professional actions and how social workers are to conduct themselves regardless of the purview of practice. The first edition of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers was published in 1960 and the most recent revision in 2015 ( National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2015). In October 2015, NASW celebrated the 55th anniversary of the NASW Code of Ethics .

Although we are aware of its importance, busy practice responsibilities do not always allow us to revisit the code, and thus it is not always fully appreciated for the ways in which it roots social work practice. It provides a roadmap, but it is still necessary for social workers to rethink what is in the code and how it can respond to problems of the day ( Hugman & Carter, 2016). How we resolve ethical dilemmas requires critical thinking and respect for a society that does not stay the same but evolves. “In complex circumstances it is vital that social workers understand how to rethink values and ethics to ensure that their practices, and policies that shape practice, can meet these challenges” ( Hugman & Carter, 2016, p. xii). This editorial takes a moment to revisit, recenter, and recharge the focus on the core values that support the NASW Code of Ethics . In these times especially, it is necessary to be even more rooted in the core values that undergird the work of professional social workers.

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Social work values and ethics.

fifth edition

Frederic G. Reamer

Columbia University Press

Pub Date: November 2018

ISBN: 9780231188296

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The oft-cited Rick Reamer has become a household name in social work education and practice. The fifth edition of Social Work Values and Ethics will continue to influence academicians, students, and practitioners. Moreover, the timely book will address the 2018 changes in the NASW Code of Ethics, which will have a profound impact on practice and education. Well done! Stephen M. Marson, editor, The Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics

This is a significant update of the most important textbook on general social work ethics of the last twenty-five years. Recently the NASW Code of Ethics was substantially updated and expanded with material related to technology and social media. This is the first textbook in the field incorporating that new material. Daniel Liechty, Illinois State University

Now in its fifth edition, Frederic Reamer’s Social Work Values and Ethics has become the canonical text in social work ethics. Through theoretical and case-based analyses, this new edition presents students, practitioners, and researchers the opportunity to develop a solid foundation in ethical reasoning that is both sophisticated and practical. Dominic Sisti, University of Pennsylvania

As an attorney who advises and defends social workers, I am grateful for this fifth edition of Dr. Reamer’s Social Work Values and Ethics . It provides practitioners in this digital age a needed roadmap showing the road home to the professions’ values and ethics. David C. Barry, former chair, NASW National Ethics Committee

The definitive guide to understanding and applying our profession’s core values and ethical standards, Social Work Values and Ethics reflects Reamer’s instrumental role in revisions to the NASW Code and his clear-eyed view of the challenges in upholding ethical standards in a complex practice environment. No mere recitation of ethical obligations and risks, it equips readers with a deep understanding of the philosophical, legal, and moral underpinnings of the choices they make, as well as the tools to make those decisions. Kim Strom-Gottfried, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

About the Author

• Social Work: Practice
• Social Work: Research Methods
• Social Work

Social Work Values and Ethics

Last Updated on December 30, 2022 by Team TSW

In this article we’ll discuss the social work values and ethics. Also, what difficulties do social workers face due to universal social work values and ethics. Values are beliefs about what is good, bad and desirable. Values guide behaviour and are derived from family, culture, and educational experiences. While societies, religions, communities can have different beliefs, it is often difficult to elucidate values within and across diverse groups. Social work values are no different.

Social Work is a value based profession. In contrast to helping professions such as psychiatry, psychology, marriage and family therapy, and individual counselling, social work is grounded in a value system that focuses on social justice and fairness. It’s critical that  social work students learn about the values and ethics of the social work profession. Values and beliefs often conflict for both clients and social workers. Awareness of personal values is a necessary first step before social workers learn about and embrace professional values. Ethical decision-making calls for acting on professional over personal values.   

Table of Contents

Evolution of Social Work Values and Ethics

During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s in the U.S., particularly in urban areas, growing attention was paid to the problems of poverty, child maltreatment, and delinquency, along with the poor working conditions of immigrants. The inhumane conditions in poor houses, mental hospitals or asylums, and jails and prisons also came to the public’s attention. Social movements to improve the lives of oppressed groups gained momentum after the turn of the century during what came to be known as the Progressive Era. 

Charitable organizations and settlement houses formed in order to address human needs. People that worked for these organizations were not trained social workers and acted according to their own beliefs when dealing with people who needed help. Anecdotes about charity workers judging and acting insensitively toward clients began to trouble agency administrators who turned to the educational system for help with teaching workers “scientific principles.”   

From the beginning, charity organization training and then social work curricula covered the purpose and objectives of social work that were based on the values of respect, uniqueness and worth of individuals, self determination, autonomy, equality, and social justice . Social work curriculum policies dictates the teaching of core professional values and in 1947 a formal code of ethics was adopted by the Delegate Conference of the American Association of Social Workers. This latest version of the social work profession’s code of ethics was revised in 2021 by the NASW Delegate Assembly. Many authors have written about value and ethical dilemmas in social work. Cultural diversity, the complexity of problems, risk and liability issues, and the growing use of technology have all contributed to making professional ethics an important contemporary topic.  

Social Work Values

Let’s discuss the social work core values in detail :-

Helping individuals, families, and communities is a prime objective of all social workers. Service is the key value from which all other social work values have originated. Services are provided to whole community to enable them to develop optimally and help them to function effectively and to lead life of decency, dignity, and liberty. These services directly benefit all the members of society, irrespective of their religion, caste, race, language, region, culture etc.

Social workers keep the needs of their clients above their own personal interests and use their skills and knowledge (from education, training and experience) to improve the living condition of individual, groups and communities. In addition, social workers often provide their personal time or expertise beyond their professional commitments.

Social Justice

Justice is of immense social significance. It gives rise to a sense of duty and concern for others. Social justice creates and sustains trust and confidence among people. It preserves law and order. Social Justice fosters understanding and thereby promotes harmony and integration.

Social justice strengthens unity and solidarity. It generates an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. It underscores the principle of live and let others live or peaceful coexistence. Social justice accelerates socio-economic development, and ultimately optimizes the personal and social functioning.

Social workers raise voice on behalf of the oppressed, the marginalized, and anyone who needs their voice heard. They often focus on issues such as poverty, homelessness, discrimination, harassment, and other forms of injustice. Social workers provide information, guide, help, and other resources to people seeking equality, and they educate people who may not directly experience discrimination about the struggles of others who may not have the same level of privileges in our society.

Social workers’ efforts to address injustices includes examining their own biases and encouraging others to do the same. They work to create more equitable support systems and identify structural conditions that contribute to disparities in the health and well-being of individuals and communities.

NASW Code of Ethics

The NASW Code of Ethics is a set of standards that guide the professional conduct of social workers. The 2021 update includes language that addresses the importance of professional self-care. Moreover, revisions to the Cultural Competence standard provide more explicit guidance to social workers. All social workers should affirm their commitment to abide by the Code of Ethics. Code of Ethics has four sections as:  

• The first Section, “ Preamble ,” summarizes the social work profession’s mission and core values.
• The second section, Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics, provides an overview of the Code’s main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice.
• The third section, Ethical Principles , presents broad ethical principles, based on social work’s core values, that inform social work practice.
• The final section, Ethical Standards , includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers’ conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication.

Please read NASW Code of Ethics in its entirety at: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English  

The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being 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. A historic and defining feature of social work is profession’s dual focus on individual well-being and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.

The mission of the social work profession has set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective:

• Social justice
• Dignity and worth of the person
• Importance of human relationships
• Competence.

Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics

Professional ethics are at the core of social work. The profession has an obligation to articulate its basic values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. The NASW Code of Ethics sets forth these values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct. The Code is relevant to all social workers and social work students, regardless of their professional functions, the settings in which they work, or the populations they serve.

The NASW Code of Ethics serves six purposes: –

• The Code identifies core values on which social work’s mission is based.
• The Code summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the profession’s core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards.
• The Code is to help social workers identify relevant considerations when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise.
• The Code provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold the social work profession accountable.
• The Code socializes practitioners new to the field to social work’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards, and encourages all social workers to engage in self-care, ongoing education, and other activities to ensure their commitment to those same core features of the profession.
• The Code articulates standards that the social work profession itself can use to assess whether social workers have engaged in unethical conduct. NASW has formal procedures to adjudicate ethics complaints filed against its members.* In subscribing to this Code, social workers are required to cooperate in its implementation, participate in NASW adjudication proceedings, and abide by any NASW disciplinary rulings or sanctions based on it.

Ethical Principles

The following broad ethical principles are based on social work’s core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These principles set forth ideals to which all social workers should aspire.

Value 1: Service

Ethical Principle : Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems

Value 2: Social Justice

Ethical Principle : Social workers challenge social injustice.

Value 3 : Dignity and Worth of the Person

Ethical Principle : Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.

Value 4: Importance of Human Relationships

Ethical Principle : Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.

Value 5: Integrity

Ethical Principle : Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.

Value 6: Competence

Ethical Principle : Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.

Ethical Standards

The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers. These standards concern:

• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, 
• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities to colleagues,
• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities in practice settings,
• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities as professionals,
• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities to the social work profession, and 
• Social workers’ ethical responsibilities to the broader society. 

Some of the standards that follow are enforceable guidelines for professional conduct, and some are aspirational.

Difficulties Due to Social Work Values in Decision Making

There is long standing tension between universal social work values versus culturable adapted social work values. There are frequent sources of value clashes between individual rights and cultural traditions. 

Consider, for instance, the challenges faced by a social worker consulting with a Vietnamese woman who has recently learned that her husband, like many men in her community, is unfaithful to her and regularly engages with commercial sex workers. In addition, the husband uses injection drugs, and has recently tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the condition associated with the onset of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Fearing for her own health, the woman has taken her children and fled her home, seeking shelter with her parents. There, her mother scolds her severely, and tells her it is her duty as a wife to return to her husband and resume relations with him, regardless of his behaviour or the risk to her life if she acquires the virus from him.  

According to the IFSW/IASSW Statement of Principles, this wife would have the right to self-determination, and the social worker would be obligated to stand up for this as well as protecting the woman from negative discrimination. On the other hand, these “universal” principles might be in direct contradiction of cultural values determining the woman’s rightful place in both her immediate and extended families. This ethical dilemma illustrates a serious conflict between the notion that one set of values applies to all, and the importance of cultural integrity in the lives of communities and their members. Professional social workers must refer to the guidance available to them, and decide which actions best respect their values and ethics, and honor the needs of both client and community.  

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Social Worker’s Personal and Professional Ethics Essay

The profession of social work is a difficult and delicate one. Social workers have their own beliefs and values and these often differ from those of their clients. In order to have an organized system of doing social work, there is a code of ethics that governs how clients are treated to avoid chaos and to ensure that all parties involved get their rights. Some of the core values that guide the social workers are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, integrity, importance of human relationships, and competence (NASW 1).

In social work, we learn that we should always leave our personal views behind and embrace professional ones. For example, as a social worker, I am expected to respect client’s right to self-determination. Every client has a goal in life and as a social worker, one should strive to identify that goal and help the client to achieve it. There are times when this proves to be difficult especially with regard to religion. My personal values on religion and how it is followed may conflict with professional work values or ethical standards.

Following the code of ethics means that I do not agree with abortion, homosexuality or certain religious activities. I have to let go of my personal opinions and view the client objectively. It is disturbing when I come across a client who desperately need medical attention but cannot accept treatment due to religious beliefs. There are times when would like to help but find it difficult to cross that religious barrier. This conflict may prevent me from seeing clearly and trying to find alternative solutions.

My personal values are that religion cannot be followed blindly. Any religion that allows my clients to remain on hallucinogens, fast for days while suffering bad health or avoid hospital is wrong. It does not mean that my values are the ‘right’ values and they may come in conflict with the values that I should adhere to.

To me, any religion that preaches poverty as a way of life is wrong. I fail to understand why some religious groups would encourage poverty as penance or as a gateway to another realm. It is difficult to deal with such clients because they may not understand that their actions are costing other people their tax money in social work. I may not be in a position to make them understand that for their own wellbeing and that of their families, they have to drop this religion. This is a personal view and I cannot judge them based on their religion.

With time I have come to learn that we all have different personal values and what makes us good or bad social workers is what we do with them. The best social worker is one who is aware of their values. They put them aside and focus wholly on the client. The secret also lies in knowing when to apply these personal values whenever necessary. When uncertain, or conflicted, it is always advisable to consult senior colleagues who have a lot of experience and are always willing to help.

There are people all over the world who are vulnerable, oppressed, discriminated against and living in abject poverty. These are the people who need social workers the most. The aim of social work is to enhance their wellbeing and to empower them to stand on their own two feet. This is done by identifying the contributing factors to their predicament. They may be environmental, emotional, and may be rooted deeply in their past. The social worker identifies the root cause, eliminates it and puts the person back into society through the established programs and agencies.

Some people say the best things are free. When I am talking to a client, I think to myself, “What can I give that is free yet ethically acceptable?” One of my personal values is my belief in the strength of human relationships. The vulnerable probably have no one to protect them. The oppressed have nowhere to run. They need someone to listen to them. If clients have no one to talk to, they may sink deeper into despair. I actively listen to my clients so that I can understand where they are coming from and to decide on the next cause of action. When a vulnerable, oppressed and poor person lays out their situation to a sympathetic person, healing begins.

The path to recovery may also begin with a touch. We are taught that social workers should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is the possibility of psychological harm to the client. I know the importance of touch and whenever I touch a client, I am always governed by appropriate and culturally sensitive boundaries. This technique is employed as a healing system and claims to be useful for reducing pain and anxiety, promoting relaxation, and stimulating the body’s natural healing process (Bruno 1). Touch where children are concerned is especially important. It makes them feel loved and accepted by society. It brings them up to be good citizen which is important not just for them, but for the whole society.

As a social worker, I understand that strong human relationships are the driving forces for change. It’s my personal value that if I can get a client to partner with someone that is important to them, then I will be one step closer to our goal. I seek to strengthen relationships between family members, social organizations where the client may have an interest. I find out what causes division between my client and the people that are in his or her life. Some are judgment calls as the people in their lives may be dragging them down.

Human relationships are strengthened by understanding. To strengthen relationships with clients, I find that it helps to see their living conditions. It helps to visit the place where they call home, to see what they eat, where they sleep and how they interact with their neighbours. For those who sleep out on the street, it helps to feel their cold and misery. I believe that this brings a deeper understanding. It puts a human element in our talks with the clients as we strive to find a solution to such dire circumstances.

The mark of a good social worker is in his or her ability to enhance personal values that do not conflict with professional values. This gives them an edge over others who do not hold the same personal values. It makes it easier and more fulfilling to help clients and to make the society a much better place. Whenever I find a personal value that might facilitate a commitment to and implementation of one professional social work or ethical standard, I hold onto it and build it up to make me a better and more productive professional social worker.

Works Cited

Bruno, Leonard C. Therapeutic Touch , 1999. Web.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers , 2008. Web.

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Our subscription rates do not follow a seasonal trend, but illustrate slow growth. The subscription rates also suggest that social workers have a growing interest in values and ethics. Based on experience with other journals, we felt that a subscription rate of 600 would be very good. Thus, the entire editorial board is delighted by the interest in our work! Dear Editors: Congratulations on trying to use video as a way of extending the journal, I think it is important that we extend the range of media available to further discussion of ethical issues in the profession. Your observations about the difference in teaching between Britain and the USA were interesting, although I do question whether we should generalise in this way when there are such a range of approaches used in each country. For the future, I would like to see shorter and more focused video content, as I found I was drifting off after about 8 minutes. Certainly our experience of using podcasting and video podcasting h...

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Ethics and Values in Social Work Essay Sample

Social Work Values and Ethics Essay

Ethics and values often go hand in hand. There is always some form of correlation between one’s actions and a doer of actions. It is a combination of the two that can play a crucial role in the determination of one’s values,  standards , and subsequently, morality. Social work, to a great extent, entails the interaction between individuals. In social work as a field, the code of ethics always plays an important role. It forms the basis of everything that the field is all about. A value carries various meanings and definitions but generally, entail the combination of reasons and drive that are behind every action that an individual does, be it right or wrong.

Values in social work can be exemplified by respect to everyone, as well as the aspect of self-determinism. Since social work traces much of its existence in the various interactions between people, it also recognizes the complex nature of such interactions, especially when it comes to doing with human beings and the surrounding. It has taken a great deal of its knowledge body from such complexities, in order to influence individual change in one way or another.

Subsequently, such values play a key role in helping the social worker to be able to make wise decisions when it comes to sociocultural challenges and injustices. Social work professionals aim at empowering members in the society who are vulnerable, oppressed or impoverished. Ethics and values in social work outline that social work entails various core values for instance dignity, social justice, integrity, valuing human interrelationships and competence.

The core of the social work profession is the social work code of ethics and values which helps the workers make sound judgments while handing clients if caring ethnicity, race or religion. Value and actions link directly, and thus we are judged according to the values we express through an action once we perform it. Ethics and values in social work dictate how we can interpret and resolve dilemmas between different values in a professional manner. The article grants guidelines on some ethical practices and their roles in the determination of actions basing on the social work significance.

Ethics and values in social work illustrates how we can access the ethics concept and show how it is employed to examine daily operations in the social work practices. These two aspects of social work also allows us to analyze the major role of governance among the representative bodies within the social work activities. Ethics and value in social work describe values as set guidelines and rules in the wrong or right decisions individuals make.

It’s evident that values facilitate the recognition of the actions as valuable or worthy and thus we can evaluate what is vital and what is less important in case a conflict of values erupts. Ethics and values in social work explain that the core values within a social work practice inform our understanding of diversity. The values and ethics in social work are not just part of the whole field, they actually constitute the entire field. They literally dictate how social workers interact with real life problems or challenges, by providing them with the set platform through which they can use to do it. From a sociocultural point of view, this helps in understanding the complexities of human interactions, while helping to make sense out of it.

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SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND ETHICS

Values and Ethics which underpin social work.

In this essay I will define and discuss values and ethics in relation to social work practice, by referring to the work with a service user (V) during my 40days placement with an agency that provides advocacy services to adults with learning disabilities. I will then look at the anti-oppressive practice and analyse the opportunities and dilemmas raised. Finally I will reflect on my own learning from this intervention.

Cynthia (2004p116) states that values are:

“generalised, emotionally charged conceptions of what is desirable; historically created and derived from experience; shared by a population/ group within it and they provide the means for organizing and structuring patterns of behaviour”.

Therefore, values are socially constructed moral codes that guide and control our actions within the social world; as social work practice recognises the complexity of interactions between human beings and their environment, it has drawn some of its knowledge from anti-oppressive practice and values in order to facilitate individual change. This knowledge helps the social worker to make informed judgements in addressing the barriers, inequalities and injustices that exist in society (Stanford 2005). Values are at the heart of Social work practice and Banks (2001p6) defines them as “a set of fundamental moral or ethical principles, which social workers are or should be committed”. A good social worker needs to be aware of the societal and professional values underlying his or her work so as to empower individuals, families and communities. Both Anti-oppressive practice and values are embodied in the BASW code of ethics.

An initial referral form was sent to the agency on behalf of V, requesting advocating services. An initial visit, called the 2 nd  part assessment was arranged and I accompanied my Practice Teacher to meet the support worker and V so as to gather more information. V is in his late 40s with no verbal communication and deaf but uses a lot of gestures and lives in supported accommodation. He drags himself on the floor while moving around in the house and uses a wheelchair to access the community. The support worker explained that V was an outgoing person who enjoyed going to the pub, gym, swimming, bowling, and eating out and so on. However, the Physiotherapist had stopped him going swimming as V was seen as posing risk to other people who were using the pool; although there had been no incidents to support this decision. Also, the Physiotherapist had stopped him going to the gym because it was considered a risk that V had to shuffle on his bottom through 4 steps to access the gym. The staff were in a dilemma as they could not argue on behalf of V because what they said was seen as their views not the service users; they needed an independent person to speak out for V because he wanted to be able to do things he enjoyed doing without being stopped by professionals .

I found this very disheartening and questioned the physiotherapist’s decision; had she thought about what V enjoyed doing, was this helping V to lead a fulfilling life like any other citizen and had she thought of any other way to support V to go swimming and attend the gym without stopping him completely? I wondered whether the buzzwords “anti-discriminatory practice”, “choice” and “empowerment” meant anything at all to the Physiotherapist. I thought that the Physiotherapist was purely basing her decisions on a medical model,

This is a preview of the whole essay

 “an approach which, although quite a dominant discourse in terms of influencing health and social welfare practice, can be seen to be quite destructive as a result of the disempowerment it engenders” (Adams et al 1998 p301).

This decision denied V to experience enjoyment by participating in social activities because of his complex needs which were not being met as noted by the Valuing People Document (2001p11) that “people with severe learning disabilities and complex needs are more likely to receive poor quality services”. On the other hand, if V was able to say what he wanted the physiotherapist might have been challenged to consider what was said and probably change he decision. I imagined how frustrating it must be for V to wake up one morning and find out your daily routine has changed, without really knowing the reason and felt that his difficult behaviour was justified.

I drew on Biestek’s social work values of “acceptance and empathy, non judgemental, individualisation and respect for persons…” (Shardlow in Adams 1998 p26) and referred to the Basw Code of Ethics, which states that social work practice “should both promote respect for human dignity and pursue social justice, through service to humanity, integrity and competence”. (Stanford 2005).  Society is diverse and social workers should endeavour to work in a way that respects all individuals’ uniqueness, their choices, beliefs, and culture, observe basic human rights, promote their dignity as well as fostering autonomy, irrespective of nationality, age, gender, ability and so on.   Banks (2001p7) contends that in so doing the social worker has to take into account the rights of significant others. I realised that in this instance these values had been thrown out of the window and endeavored to employ them so as to make V feel a worthwhile individual.  I was also aware that Part III of The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 makes it illegal to discriminate against disabled people in terms of gaining “access to and use of any place which members of the public are permitted to enter”. V was being discriminated against because of his disability and I felt it was imperative to apply the social model of intervention, which is “rights based” and looks at removing barriers so as to enable people to lead fulfilling lives. (Lindow (2000) in Davies p322).  

An advocacy plan was set up concentrating on what V wanted and how these were to be implemented, in order to meet personal and social needs. A Person Centred Planning meeting was held enabling us to work in partnership with support workers in order to draw on everyone’s expertise so as to foster humanity and open processes to enable V to lead a fulfilling life. I wanted to understand his world and felt awkward speaking about him whilst he sat there like a little child, probably wondering what we were talking about as Neil (in Adams 1998 p300) points out “…adults with learning disabilities can face infantilisation”. It was not easy to engage V in conversation as he is deaf with no verbal communication. I had to observe his non-verbal communication which

“includes observations about what people are wearing, how they are sitting, what they are doing with their hands, the expressions on the face, eye contact and the physical distance separating them” (O’Connor et al 1998 cited by Osmond 2005p 886)

I found it difficult to interpret his non-verbal communication because I was seeing him for the first time. However, I noticed that V seemed uneasy and kept going out of the lounge where we were sitting, he took a while to settle down. I felt his behaviour was understandable, he did not know us and obviously felt edgy as most people do on meeting somebody for the first time. When he settled down, he sat there glancing at us from time to time. I must admit that during that first visit, I found it difficult to listen to the support worker and became more engrossed in V’s body language and his facial expressions.

I was aware of an ethical dilemma, whose views were being expressed here, the staff had the potential of saying their views as if they were V’s because of his inability to verbalise his thoughts. I wanted to know how they facilitated his communication and understood what he meant leading them to draw conclusions such as; V’s dream was to swim with dolphins. The support worker explained that when they took V to shop for ornaments to decorate his room he picked those with dolphins and also when he saw them on TV he got excited and started pointing at them. To communicate with him before a meeting or activity, they showed V pictures, photographs or symbols to explain what was happening. V was able to choose a picture of where he wanted to go or what he wanted; for example, he chose the colour to decorate his room, the furniture and accessories using the Argos catalogue book. The staff were thinking of the best possible way of addressing V’s needs; by getting advocacy involved to represent his views they were adopting the person centred approach.

Adams (1998 p314) sees advocacy as a form of empowerment which, “involves representing a person’s interests in circumstances where they are not able to do so themselves”. It strives to promote social inclusion by empowering marginalised people and therefore, has a direct relationship to anti-oppressive practice in social work. The ethical principles underlying advocacy reinforce working in partnership with users and carers, a key concept in social work practice and community care. Furthermore, the skills required for successful advocacy reflect core skills of social work practice (Bateman, 2000p17).

Professionals get involved in people’s lives most of the times to help, but then oppress them by making decisions for them. Oppression is:

“Inhuman/degrading treatment of individuals/groups; hardship

And injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over

another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power. Oppression often

involves disregarding the rights of an individual/ group and is thus the denial of citizenship” (Thompson 1997p31).

In V’s situation, the Physiotherapist made decisions without consulting him, his  needs and interests were not considered. As Adams (1998p301) affirms “remedies to problems encountered lie primarily with experts and thus undermines self determination and authenticity”. Most professionals take it upon themselves to make decisions for people as they assume that they cannot make choices for themselves, yet the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (to be effected in 2007) argues that almost all including the most severely disabled are capable of making choices and expressing their views and preferences. Therefore it is the social worker’s role to “challenge the abuse of power for suppression and for excluding people from decisions which affect them” as stated by Stanford (accessed 5/01/2005) in the code of ethics .   People requiring access to services should not feel that they are beggars, their welfare needs should be met as a right and dignity and respect should be maintained all the times.

I was aware of the power dimensions between the service user and myself as I was in a position where I knew what was going on in his life, but he knew nothing about me, not even my name. Horner (2005 p97) says that social workers are to “engage holistically with both the person and their circumstances whilst at the same time recognizing the processes of power dynamics at the play in the helping relationship”. As such, I employed empathy in order to view the world from his reference and worked in a way that was not intimidating in order to understand the situation by asking and clarifying things with the support worker. Looking back, I became emotionally involved; my mind was all over trying to find solutions in the subject area of Risk Assessment that I knew nothing about. Talking to my Practice Teacher helped me to focus and keep on track with the advocacy plan. Although, there were a lot of things that were new to me I researched and read about inclusive risk assessment, Mental Capacity Act, Person Centred Planning to equip myself as student.

Being involved in V’s circumstances   taught me a lot, not only about people with learning disabilities and services available for them, but also about oppression, discrimination and social exclusion.  It made me realise the importance of consulting with Practice Teacher, admitting my limitations in the application of knowledge in terms of risk assessment and theories and stepping aside to reflect, as it is easy to get emotionally involved and over look important things. I learnt that advocacy is very important for a people like V who do not have a voice and that working with different agencies poses ethical dilemmas as each organisation has different shared cultural values. For example, in terms of “promoting independence and quality of life, whilst protecting service users from harm” (Placement Hand book 2005/2006 p90), which out weighs the other -independence or protection? What if the organisation gets sued? For some professionals decisions are effected by risks to self that is, back covering which makes it difficult to think objectively about each person’s needs. It became clear to me that social workers dealt with complex and conflicting issues almost daily leading to misinformed judgements and therefore, supervision was a very important activity to thrash out any difficulties.

In conclusion, social workers as agents of change attempt to alleviate inequalities and oppression within societies and need to be aware of the values underlying their work by referring to the code of ethics. By adopting values and anti-oppressive practice such as advocacy; social workers will be able to make informed decisions in addressing aspects, which relate to the provision of services to individuals who may have differing needs. Although I have explored the inherent conflicts that can arise when working with individuals who have complex issues, it is important to recognise these and discuss them during supervision.  

Adams, R., Dominelli, L. and Payne, M. (eds) (1998) Social Work: Themes

Issues and critical Debates.  Basingstoke, Macmillan.

Banks, S. (2001) Ethics and values in Social Work .  Palgrave, Basingstoke

Bateman, N. (2000) Advocacy Skills for Health and Social Care Professionals .   London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Cynthia, B. (2004) Social Work Values: the Moral Core. The British Journal of Social Work , 35 (6) October, pp109-123.

Department of Health. (2001) Valuing People: A new strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century.  London, HMSO.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995, London, HSMO.

Horner , N. (2005) What is Social Work? Context and Perspectives . Exeter, Learning Matters

Lindow, V. (2000) "The Social Model of Disability". In: Davies, M (ed) The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Social Work. Oxford, Blackwell.pp321-322.

Mental Capacity Act 2005,London,HMSO.

Osmond, J. (2005) The knowledge Spectrum: A frame work for teaching knowledge and its use in social work practice.   The British Journal of Social Work , 35 (6) September, pp881-900.

Stanford, P. BASW code of ethics  [Internet], available from<http: > [ Accessed 5/01/2005].

Thompson, N. (1997) Anti-Discriminatory Practice . Basingstoke, Macmillan.

Document Details

• Word Count 2431
• Page Count 10
• Level University Degree
• Subject Social studies

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Social Work Values And Ethics Essay

The Values and Ethics of Social Work are grounded in interpersonal relationships. These values emphasize the importance of communication, empathy, and mutual respect in social interactions. The Ethics of Social Work also highlight the importance of being honest and transparent in all dealings with others.

“Relative worth, usefulness, or importance” is how Merriam Webster describes values. Values are ideas or beliefs that are valued by someone. I believe that many people base their personal decisions on the influence of values, and these choices can become challenging in a therapeutic relationship. Personal ideals may have an unintended impact on clients’ well-being by inadvertently influencing professionals.

It is essential that social workers be aware of their personal values and how these may impact their clients. In order to establish and maintain successful helping relationships, it is important to develop empathy and rapport with clients. Interpersonal relationships are a key part of the social work profession, and friendships often develop between client and social worker. While these relationships can be beneficial, it is important to maintain professional boundaries in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

Ethics are defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior”. Social workers are bound by a code of ethics set forth by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). This code includes six core values: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. These values guide social workers in their professional conduct and decision-making.

When working with clients, it is important for social workers to be aware of their own personal values and how these may influence their work. Additionally, social workers must maintain professional boundaries in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest. By understanding the impact of personal values and adhering to the NASW code of ethics, social workers can provide effective and ethical services to their clients.

When working in a therapeutic relationship, helpers must be aware of the influence of their personal beliefs on their interactions and distinguish between imposing versus revealing these values (Schneider and Corey, 2010). This essay will look at a personal value, an issue linked to it, and how I resolved it in order to help me better understand my own values.

I grew up in the Philippines and my parents always taught me the importance of helping others. As a result, I have always been very interested in helping people, particularly those who are vulnerable or marginalized. When I started my social work studies, I was excited to learn more about how I could help others as a professional.

One of my personal values is friendship. I believe that friendships are built on trust, mutual respect, and shared values. However, I have found that it can be difficult to maintain friendships when you are also working with someone professionally. This is because there can be a power difference between you and the person you are trying to be friends with. For example, if you are a social worker and you become friends with a client, there may be a conflict of interest.

One way to resolve this conflict is to set boundaries with your friends. For example, you might want to avoid discussing work-related topics outside of work hours. You can also let your friends know that you are happy to help them if they need it, but that you may not be able to do everything they ask. By setting these boundaries, you can maintain healthy friendships while still respecting the professional relationship.

My parents divorced when I was an adolescent, and my mother became my main caregiver. Effective parenting, particularly by a mother, has become a personal value for me. Subsequently, I do not respect people who take a pass on their child’s responsibilities or parental duties. This belief has caused me to have a problem with a personal friendship.

My close friend, Bob, and I met in college and have been friends for over 10 years. We are very different people. I am an only child who was raised primarily by my mother while Bob has four siblings and was raised primarily by his father. Despite our different upbringings, we share many common interests and have always been able to have insightful conversations about a variety of topics. However, there is one significant area where we differ – parenting philosophies.

I strongly believe that it is a parent’s responsibility to be intimately involved in their children’s lives – to know their friends, activities, school progress, etc. In contrast, Bob takes a more hands-off approach with his children. He believes that it is their responsibility to come to him with information and problems. While I respect his parenting style, I do not agree with it.

Recently, Bob’s teenage daughter got into some trouble at school. When he told me about the situation, I was surprised that he did not know more details. I asked him how he found out and he said that his daughter had told him what happened. I then asked why she felt comfortable coming to him and not her mother. He explained that his wife works long hours and is often tired when she comes home. Additionally, she is not as patient as he is and often gets angry when his daughter talks back or does something wrong.

I could understand his wife’s perspective but I still felt that it was Bob’s responsibility to be more involved. I told him that if he was not going to talk to his daughter’s teachers or administrators, then he should at least be talking to her mother. He said that he would think about it.

A few weeks later, Bob’s daughter got into trouble again. This time, she was caught with drugs at school. Bob told me that he had talked to his wife and they had decided that it was best for him to handle the situation. I was surprised and disappointed by their decision.

I told Bob that I thought he was making a mistake by not being more involved. I said that his daughter needed both her parents to be there for her. He said that he appreciated my opinion but that he and his wife had decided what was best for their family.

While I respect Bob’s decision, it has caused some tension in our friendship. I believe that he is not being as involved as he should be and I do not think that his daughter is getting the support she needs. On the other hand, Bob believes that he is doing what is best for his family. We have been able to continue our friendship by agreeing to disagree on this issue.

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Social Work Values

Social work is a values-driven profession. Though social workers may vary in personal values and styles of practice, the field of social work maintains a set of core values to guide the profession and set a standard for practitioners. These core values, which the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) includes in their Code of Ethics, are service, social justice, dignity & worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The NASW corresponds each of these values to broader ethical principles that contextualize and further describe these values.

Service - “Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems” (National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2021).

    The field of social work originated in the 19th century through efforts to address social problems in society following the Industrial Revolution such as urban poverty, which disproportionally impacted particular groups such as immigrants and children.

Social justice - “Social workers challenge social injustice” (NASW, 2021).

    The ethical principle behind the value of service suggests social workers must focus on addressing social problems and people’s unmet needs. However, the value of social justice suggests that social workers must go further and evaluate power and oppression within the grander context of social problems and unmet needs.

Dignity and worth of the person - “Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person” (NASW, 2021).

    Social workers should value the dignity and worth of each person, guiding social worker’s efforts toward improving human rights, access to resources, and quality of life with clients.

Importance of human relationships - “Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships” (NASW, 2021).

    The value of human relationships in social work leads social workers to apply interventions and engage with clients at a variety of levels, including with individuals, families, groups, and communities. Social workers also should work to establish rapport and a trusting, compassionate relationship with their clients.

Integrity - “Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner” (NASW, 2021).

    Social workers must not only behave in a trustworthy manner, but they should also maintain integrity for their professional ethics within social work practice.

Competence - “Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise” (NASW, 2021).

    The value of competence encourages social workers to operate within their area of training/scope, ensuring clients receive quality, accurate care. The core value of competence also means social workers must engage in life-long learning to enhance their professional development, facilitate greater self-awareness and self-reflection skills, and expand their knowledge.

When looking into various programs, I particularly resonated with social work’s focus on social justice and how Seattle U’s MSW program was intentionally designed to center social justice in its curriculum. Social work’s value for social justice allows social workers to work within a variety of levels and settings and to maintain a person-in-environment perspective when working with clients.

National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of Ethics . NASW.

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