Nasw Code Of Ethics Analysis

The NASW follows six Ethical Principles. The Ethical Principle that social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships is most relevant to the problem of child abuse because it coincides with the best interests of those working to bring child victims of abuse out of their unhealthy state of living. Under this Ethical Principle, the NASW Code of Ethics states that “Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.” This Ethical Principle is the most relevant because it values human relationships and their coexistence with the outer forces of society. With this Principle intact, professional social workers are thus driven to improve the living conditions of those in need. They react to specific social problems that are harmful to individuals, such as child abuse and neglect. This Ethical Principle suggests that the
problem of child abuse should be addressed by actively analyzing the relationships between child victims of abuse and the caretakers. Through this process of analysis, social workers can take multiple factors into consideration: communication levels, how thoughts and opinions are vocalized (and to what extent), and overall, emphasize the institution of family. This Ethical Principle highlights the fact that human relationships have an immense impact on the social mobility of individuals. When zooming in on the issue of child abuse, this Ethical Principle can then be utilized to shift the focus of the general public to a more intimate matter of business. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, this Ethical Principle also indicates the belief that those in need have a right to help. Since this Ethical Principle states that “Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change” (National Association of Social Workers, 2016), one may argue that the family is the most fundamental component of children’s lives because of how they shape and influence them. As CAPTA establishes, this is consistent with this ethical principle because both draw attention to the greater end vision of clients having a strong and healthy relationship with their caretakers, as well as with those they will form other relationships with; whether they be with social groups, or through networking.
The objective of professional social workers involved with child welfare is “to meet the current practice trends and to reflect the values of the profession. These standards can be regarded as a basic tool for social work practice in child welfare, which may include prevention, parenting programs, family support programs, family-based services, family foster care, kinship care, residential group home, adoption, and independent living” (National Association of Social Workers,
2013). One indirect stakeholder group that has something to gain or lose through policies in the social problem area of child abuse is the Children’s Bureau. Similarly to NASW, “The Children’s Bureau (CB) focuses on improving the lives of children and families through programs that reduce child abuse and neglect, increase the number of adoptions, and strengthen foster care” (Children’s Bureau: An Office Of the Administration for Children & Families, 2016). Essentially, the CB provides funding for programs that recognize child abuse as a social problem and eventually reducing its frequency. By developing child welfare programs and promoting the need to carry out such social services that provide the resources for establishing and maintaining a healthy relationship that reintegrates these children back into society as social, productive human beings. In addition to this, the CB states that “Our funding also provides for child abuse and neglect assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities” (Children’s Bureau: An Office Of the Administration for Children & Families, 2016). The idea of Strengthening Families, “an array of strategies – including staff training, program enhancements, quality improvement efforts and policy changes – that integrate prevention into early education and child care programs” (Zimmerman & Mercy, 2010).