The Ethical Practitioner in Formation: Issues of Courage, Competence and Commitment

Abstract

This article reports on a small study exploring students' accounts of ethically difficult situations. Participating students were studying professional qualifying programmes in social education and social work at three higher education institutions in Finland, France and the UK. Variations in how students describe ethically difficult situations are noted—including whether they feature the student as an active moral agent facing a difficult ethical decision and the extent to which they utilise recognisably ‘ethical’ language and concepts. The types of situations reported as ethically difficult are identified as focusing on: the difficulties of challenging service users and colleagues; the power and responsibility of the worker; and defining the boundaries of the professional relationship. Similar types of situations were raised by students in the different countries, although there is some variation in how they describe their ethical difficulties and the specific concerns they raise. Implications for teaching include the need to develop skills and qualities in students that enable them to recognise the ethical dimensions of difficult situations and to develop the courage to act on their decisions.

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