NASW Code Of Ethics Analysis

The National Association of Social Workers was created in 1955 and has since grown to include over a hundred thousand members (N). In 1996, the NASW established their NASW Code of Ethics with the function of helping guide the professional conduct of social workers (N). Apart of the NASW’s Code of Ethics is six ethical values and their corresponding principles. These six values include: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence (National). Their code of ethics had me thinking about my own ethical values that I try to live my life by. So, I created my own list of four values that I will also compare to the NASW’s similar counterpart.
The first value on my list is trust.
This relates to the NASW’s value of social justice. The ethical principle states that, “Social workers challenge social injustice” (National). Commitment is important to me. If someone says they are going to do something I expect them to follow through with it. Unless an emergency happens then I would understand. I have had friends promise to be at events that are important to me only for them to not show up. I have had coworkers and partners “forget” to do their share of the work and I would have to pick up the slack. Their horrible lack of commitment makes me trust them less in the future. For social workers to do what they do best they need to have commitment. It is not an easy job trying to tackle injustice. Change is a slow process and if a social worker is not committed to that process it will never happen. Social workers also deal with individuals who have a wide range of problems whether it be mental, physical, financial, etc… and they have to be committed to working and helping them even if their clients do not take their
I feel like my third value goes hand-in-hand with the NASW’s third: dignity and worth of a person. Their corresponding principle literally has respect in the sentence, “Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person” (National). In order for a social worker to be able to help their clients there has to be a level of respect between the two parties. That does not mean the social workers has to like the decisions their clients make but they do need to respect their right to make that decision. Many people have different opinions on respect, mostly to whether it is earned or given. In my opinion it is kind of a mixture of both. Respect is definitely something I see as having to be earned especially when it comes to friends, spouses, and other personal connections. However, when it comes to individuals like your parents, your coworkers, your bosses, and other professional connections you should always treat these individuals with respect. They have more experience then you and, hopefully, they are there to help you and not hinder you. When it comes to a social worker and their clients, the social worker should definitely already have some form of respect for their clients but should understand that their clients may not have the same level of respect for them. Some of their clients are scared or hurt and some might not even be there out of