Key Values And Ethics In Social Work

PCD 4: Social Sector Specific Studies

Online exam paper: (Tutor: Laiqa Sheikh)
Date: 01.12.2015
A39DSS: Autumn 2015
Student: Cristina Marcu (C32620)

3) What are the Key ‘Values and Ethics’ in social work?

Ethics is a science at the crossing border between the moral philosophy and the particular ethics of different professions. The practice of ethics should help in the prevention of malpractice since it states the rights and duties of one professional group. For a professional it’s expected to know the ethics and values of that profession.
According to the Dictionary of Sociology the definition of value is expressed as :“In Parsonian sociology, social order depends on the existence of general, shared values which are
regarded as legitimate and binding , and act as a standard by means of which the ends of actions are selected. The linkage between social and personality systems is achieved by internalization of values through the process of socialization”. (1994)
The practice in social work is deeply guided by some values and principles that initiate from the specific of the social work: helping the individuals in difficult situations or crises, due personal issues or social events.
Social work as profession is not just scientific but has a high level of practice with orientation on humanism. The deontological code of the social workers grants the human rights, without differences of sex, race, age, language, religion or culture, trying to reduce the inequalities between the minority or disadvantaged groups and the majority of the population. Values are essential for defining social work since as they are known in the literature as being based on this practice or constituting at least one of its conditions indispensable. Values represent one of the particular aspects of interaction between social workers and their clients.
According to Gray and Webb (Ethics and Value-Perspectives in Social Work, 2010, 20) “social work´s core values convey an aura of certainty about what a profession stands for (…) More recently, the values of non-discrimination and cultural competence has been added to Biestek´s (1961) and Timm´s (1983) original lists of values comprising respect for persons, self-determination, individualization, confidentiality and non-judgemental
attitude”.
In the analysis of different codes of ethics Gray and Webb (26) identifies different characteristics around the world. The IFSW published in three different languages and has members in 84 countries. The “Ethical Statement of Principles” begins by defying the social work and follows the rules of different International Conventions such “Convention of Human Rights”. It states the core values of the social worker profession in the respect of human rights and social justice. It also addresses to the professional conduct and ethical challenges.
The British Code of Ethics developed by BASW (British Association of Social Workers) has a main guideline the protection of the clients and other members of the community.
It identifies five main values: human dignity and human worth, social justice, service to humanity, integrity and competence. BASW´s the code of ethics states main values and principles in social work. These reflect over the human rights, social justice and professional integrity, as follows:
Human rights “Value: Social work is based on respect for the inherent worth and dignity of all people as expressed in the United Declaration of Human Rights (1984) and other related UN declaration on rights and the conventions derived from those declarations.” “Principles: Upholding and promoting human dignity and well-being; respecting the right to self-determination; promoting the right to participation; treating each person as a whole; identifying and developing strengths”.
Social justice “Value: Social workers have a responsibility to promote social justice, in relation to society generally, and in the relation to the people with whom they work. Principles: Challenging discrimination, recognising diversity, distributing resources, challenging unjust policies and practices and working in
solidarity”.
Professional integrity: “Value: Social workers have the responsibility to respect and uphold the values and principles of the profession and act in a reliable, honest and trustworthy manner”. Principles: Upholding the values and reputation of the profession, being trustworthy, maintaining professional boundaries, making considered professional judgements and being professionally accountable. “
IFSW adopted the document “Ethics in Social Work, Statement of Principles” at the General Meetings of the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work in Adelaide, Australia, October 2004. Between these principles can be found as follows: any human being has a unique value, this fact justifying the moral consideration for that person; any individual has the right self-fulfilment and has to duty to contribute to the development of the society; any society should function in such way to be able to offer the maximum benefits to its members; social workers must respect the social justice; social workers have the responsibility to dedicate their goals and their skills to the welfare of the individuals, groups, communities and society in their evolution, with the means in solving personal or social conflicts, and their repercussions. (www.ifsw.org)
The NASW Code of Ethics from the United States (National Association of Social Workers) is quite explicit and receives a great deal on the matter of the confidentiality, seen as a safeguard against the malpractice. This ethical principle is also found in other professions that provide social services. Protection of information is a social worker's ethical duty and obligation to keep the confidence is fundamental, breach of which may permanently damage the relationship between professional and client. The customer sensitive information should be limited to what is necessary to provide the service requested.
The ethic code of NASW includes principles and guide lines regarding: behaviour and conduct of the social worker, the ethic responsibilities of the social worker towards the clients and his colleagues, the ethical responsibilities towards the employers and own profession and at last, the responsibilities towards the society.
Ann Abbott´s (2002) analysed the traits of social work from different parts of the worlds underlying the universality of these values. She defined four categories of social values: respect for human rights, social responsibilities, commitment to social justice and self-determination. (Gray,Webb ,23)
The members of a professional group are bounded by a code of ethics that states the moral principles and values, used by the organization to guide the conduct of itself and of its employees, in all internal or external activities and relations. The social workers should have a behaviour and conduct adapted to the guide line of the Code of Ethics. This will maintain the reputation of the social worker, the trust and the respect between the clients and the providers of the social services. The Code of Ethics also links the social workers and those who get benefits from their activities, protecting of opportunistic conducts and providing a positive imagine of the social worker.

REFERENCES
ABBOTT, A. (2002). MEASURING SOCIAL WORK VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL CHALLENGE FOR GLOBAL PRACTICE. THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK, 42 (4), 455-70
ABERCROMBIE N. HILL S. TURNER B. S. (1994) - DICTIONARY OF SOCIOLOGY. THE PENGUIN, 3RD EDITION, HARMONDSWORTH, 444
GRAY, M. WEBB, S. A. (2010). ETHICS AND VALUE PERSPECTIVES IN SOCIAL WORK. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN, 19-26
*IFSW - http://ifsw.org/policies/statement-of-ethical-principles/
*BASW – THE POLICY, ETHICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE (2012). THE CODE OF ETHICS FOR SOCIAL WORK- STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES, 8-10