Values and Ethics in Social Work

There will be variations in interpretation and guidance in the different countries. 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 workers should strive to carry out the stated aims of their employers or commissioners, provided they are consistent with the Code of Ethics. BASW expects employers to have in place systems and approaches to promote a climate which supports, monitors, reviews and takes the necessary action to ensure social workers can comply with the Code of Ethics and other requirements to deliver safe and effective practice. Social workers should communicate effectively and work in partnership with individuals, families, groups, communities and other agencies.

They should value and respect the contribution of colleagues from other disciplines. 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. Social workers should support people to reach informed decisions about their lives and promote their autonomy and independence, provided this does not conflict with their safety or with the rights of others.

Social workers need to acknowledge the impact of their own informal and coercive power and that of the organisations involved. Social workers should give people the information they need to make informed choices and decisions. They should enable people to access all information recorded about themselves, subject to any limitations imposed by law. Social workers should assist people to understand and exercise their rights including making complaints and other remedies.

Social workers should use the authority of their role in a responsible, accountable and respectful manner.

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They should exercise authority appropriately to safeguard people with whom they work and to ensure people have as much control over their lives as is consistent with the rights of others. Social workers should promote and contribute to the development of positive policies, procedures and practices which are anti-oppressive and empowering. Social workers should recognise their own prejudices to ensure they do not discriminate against any person or group.

They should ensure that services are offered and delivered in a culturally appropriate manner. They should challenge and seek to address any actions of colleagues who demonstrate negative discrimination or prejudice.

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Social workers should be prepared to challenge discriminatory, ineffective and unjust policies, procedures and practice. They should challenge the abuse of power and the exclusion of people from decisions that affect them. 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.

Code of Ethics

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. Social workers should respect the principles of confidentiality that apply to their relationships and ensure that confidential information is only divulged with the consent of the person using social work services or the informant. Exceptions to this may only be justified on the basis of a greater ethical requirement such as evidence of serious risk or the preservation of life.

Social workers need to explain the nature of that confidentiality to people with whom they work and any circumstances where confidentiality must be waived should be made explicit. Social workers should identify dilemmas about confidentiality and seek support to address these issues. Social workers should maintain clear, impartial and accurate records and provision of evidence to support professional judgements. They should record only relevant matters and specify the source of information. Social workers should reflect and critically evaluate their practice and be aware of their impact on others.

Other Subject Areas

Social workers should recognise the limits of their practice and seek advice or refer to another professional if necessary to ensure they work in a safe and effective manner. Social workers should take responsibility for ensuring they have access to professional supervision and discussion which supports them to reflect and make sound professional judgements based on good practice.

BASW expects all employers to provide appropriate professional supervision for social workers and promote effective team work and communication. Social workers should develop and maintain the attitudes, knowledge, understanding and skills to provide quality services and accountable practice. They need to keep up to date with relevant research, learning from other professionals and service users.

Social workers should strive to create conditions in employing agencies and in their countries where the principles of the Code are discussed, evaluated and upheld in practice. They should engage in ethical debate with their colleagues and employers to share knowledge and take responsibility for making ethically informed decisions. They should endeavour to seek changes in policies, procedures, improvements to services or working conditions as guided by the ethics of the profession.

Social workers should contribute to the education and training of colleagues and students by sharing knowledge and practice wisdom. They should identify, develop, use and disseminate knowledge, theory and practice. They should contribute to social work education, including the provision of good quality placements, and ensure students are informed of their ethical responsibilities to use the Code in their practice.

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Code of Ethics

Related Articles about About Related Articles close popup. Export Citations Print Email Share. Introduction The topic of social work values and ethics has always been central to the profession. Introductory Works Social workers who seek a full understanding of ethical issues in the profession should become familiar with core concepts related to values, ethical theory, and moral philosophy.

Social work is a service-based profession, your duties lie in helping others, so a desire to help is crucial. You will often come across family situations where a societal injustice has occurred. Your duty will be to recognise this and provide the assistance you are able to in order to alleviate the resulting suffering.

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A keen sense of what is right and wrong, and a professional awareness of the avenues you can take to help are important. You should respect humanity equally and believe that all members of society deserve an equal chance of living, without discrimination.

If you encounter biases within yourself or others, you should work towards addressing these prejudices and champion the right for fair treatment. A social worker without kindness and compassion will be ineffective in their work. There will be long days, and sometimes clients may be making things harder for you than you think they should be. Kindness will be the motivating factor pushing you through the difficult days, knowing that your hard work will help people.

Acting with integrity builds trust in your relationships with clients and your co-workers.