Values and Ethics for Professional Social Work Practice

Abstract

Values and ethics have both philosophical and practical significance for the profession of social work. Core values reflect the ideology of the profession. Their articulation, through ethical standards, guides social workers' choices and actions across an array of roles, settings, and client populations. Values and ethics help to distinguish social work from other professions and provide a basis for accountability. Ethical decisions rely on a strong understanding of the codes that guide the profession, on practitioner self-awareness and on the use of thoughtful, thorough frameworks for weighing choices when dilemmas or conflicts arise. As such, social workers must understand concepts such as self-determination, confidentiality, informed consent, competence, and conflicts of interest and the ways in which these standards may be challenged or upheld in practice. They must also comfortably utilize critical thinking, consultation, and research in weighing options for resolving ethical dilemmas and have the capacity to skillfully implement the result of the decision-making process.

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