(adapted from Banks, S. (2012) Ethics and Values in Social Work, 4th edition, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, BASW Macmillan Practical Social Work Series), Working definitions of ethics and professional ethics. First published: January 2012 Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles This is the IASSW version of the Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles which was unanimously adopted at the General Assembly of IASSW on 5th July 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. E-mail: s.j.banks@durham.ac.uk. Share. Social work in its various forms addresses the multiple, complex transactions between people and their environments. Social workers should build and sustain professional relationships based on people’s right to control their own lives and make their own choices and decisions. Social workers should take into account appropriate codes of practice, legislation, governance frameworks, professional practice and training standards in each UK country, provided they are consistent with the Code of Ethics. Social work interventions range from primarily person-focused psychosocial processes to involvement in social policy, planning and development. Values and ethics in Social Work’ is an essential source for student social workers. Social workers need to acknowledge the impact of their own informal and coercive power and that of the organisations involved. In codes of ethics principles are often divided into two kinds: Ethical principles – general statements of ethical principles underpinning the work, relating to attitudes, rights and duties about human welfare, for example: ‘respect for the autonomy of service users’; ‘promotion of human welfare’. The full text is available at the NASW website. Rationale: Social workers often practice within institutions or organizations that have goals, policies, or environments that are not driven by social work values. With ethical implications and considerations arising at each stage of the research process, engaging with the wide range of issues and ideas can often prove a challenge. Section 3 comprises practice principles which indicate how the general ethical principles outlined in Section 2 should be put into practice in a UK context. They should analyse and evaluate the quality and outcomes of their practice with people who use social work services. Social workers should ascertain and respect, as far as possible, each individual’s preferences, wishes and involvement in decision making, whether or not they or other persons have powers to make decisions on the person’s behalf. In social work code of ethics, an ethical dilemma is a situation requiring action on part of the social worker wherein there is no clean success – that is, two or more ethical principles are in conflict with one another. Social workers should develop and maintain the attitudes, knowledge, understanding and skills to provide quality services and accountable practice. It offers a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision-making and everyday professional conduct of social workers. Social workers should not collude with the erosion of human rights or allow their skills to be used for inhumane purposes such as systematic abuse, detention of child asylum seekers and threats to family life of those in vulnerable positions. Respecting the right to self determination Social workers should respect, promote and support people’s dignity and right to make their own choices and decisions, irrespective of their values and life choices, provided this does not threaten the rights, safety and legitimate interests of others. Social work bases its methodology on a systematic body of evidence informed knowledge derived from research and practice evaluation, including local and indigenous knowledge specific to its context. Her book, Ethics and Values in Social Work was published by Macmillan in 1995. Ethical conflicts, and the moral distress which they may cause, can give rise to unease, guilt, and burnout (Raines 2000). Professional social work is focused on problem solving and change. The term ‘ethics’ may be used in a singular sense to refer to the study of right and wrong norms of behaviour, good and bad qualities of character; or in a plural sense, to refer to the actual norms and qualities. "Social work is a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. The practice principles are not intended to be exhaustive as some ethical challenges and problems facing social workers in practice are common and others are specific to particular countries and settings. Social work utilises a variety of skills, techniques, and activities consistent with its holistic focus on persons and their environments. Ethical awareness is a necessary part of the professional practice of any social worker. … The Code of Ethics states the values and ethical principles on which the profession is based. For good reasons, the ethics of care perspective is compatible with the social work profession's overriding concern about human well-being, relationships, and interdependency. Ethics and values in social care research Ethics and values are a fundamental part of the way people work in social care, so much so that in social work they are one of the nine capabilities within the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF). Given that social workers constantly make moral judgements when they discern whether something is morally right or wrong, over the years, social work writers on ethics have argued for the importance of moral philosophy for social work (Goldstein, 1987; Gray, 1995, 1996; Siporin, 1983). They should challenge the abuse of power and the exclusion of people from decisions that affect them. The professional association for social work and social workers, The Anti-Poverty Practice Guide for Social Work, IFSW and other international social work organisations, Influencing social work policy in the Commonwealth, Practice, policy and education groups (PPEGs), Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance for Independents, Umbrella service companies & tax avoidance scheme investigations, Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), Practice Educator Professional Standards (PEPS) 2020, Support for newly-qualified social workers, Professional Support Service: Access support, Professional Support Service: Frequently Asked Questions, Copyright © 2021 British Association of Social Workers. practice. On the occasion of National Social Work Week 2005, the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) adopted a new Code of Ethics and published Guidelines for Ethical Practice to serve as a companion document to the Code. Social workers should recognise that people using social work services have the right to take risks and should enable them to identify and manage potential and actual risk, while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. Implications for Social Work. The NASW Code of Ethics sets forth these values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct. Social workers should be prepared to challenge discriminatory, ineffective and unjust policies, procedures and practice. Working definitions of values and social work values. Reflect on recent decisions you’ve made Social workers should be prepared to report bad practice using all available channels including complaints procedures and if necessary use public interest disclosure legislation and whistleblowing guidelines. They help in making sound judgments and decisions when dealing with all segments of the population regardless of the clients’ religion, race, or ethnicity. 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