Ethics For Social Workers Moral Principles Professional Behavior

Ethics For Social Workers Moral Principles & Professional Behavior

Goals & Objectives • Define what ethical duties do we as social workers and social work students have • How does NASW outline the standards in the field • Understand the basic moral principles associated with ethical behavior

Moral Principles • Moral principle is defined as the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or social groups. They are the basis for all ethical codes and guides to ethical decision making. • Let us briefly review them so that we can understand their applications in social work practice.

Moral Principles ● AUTONOMY The rights of individuals to make their own choices and control their own lives ● BENEFICENCE To pursue what is good and helpful for others

Moral Principles (continued) ● NONMALEFICENCE To do no Harm *This is one of the oldest moral principles in the profession and is often considered the most pressing for individuals

Moral Principles (continued) ● JUSTICE Commitment to fairness and nondiscriminatory and equitable treatment for all ● FIDELITY Relationship is based on trust; keep your promises and honor your commitments

Hypothetical Case Example • Elena is a social work student in her last semester of clinical practice. Lately she has become concerned. One of her colleagues at her practice site does not seem to be doing a good job treating a client, and Elena wonders if her colleague is incompetent or unethical. • What, if anything, should Elena do?

Hypothetical Case • Elena is wondering about the ethics of social work, or the set of principles and code of conduct for social workers to follow. Ethics are very important for social workers, as we deal with vulnerable populations. • So what should Elena do? To help her understand the ethics of social work, let us look closely at the NASW Code of Ethics, including what it is and the six main ethical responsibilities of social workers.

NASW Code of Ethics • As we just appreciated, Elena is in a challenging situation. She is not sure what to do about her suspicions about her coworker. • The National Association of Social Workers, or NASW for short, has published a document that outlines the ethical boundaries and expectations for social workers. It is called the NASW Code of Ethics, and among other things, it outlines day-to-day behaviors of social workers.

NASW Code of Ethics • The NASW Code of Ethics outlines the mission of social work, the main reasons for using the guide, overarching ethical principles, and six specific ethical standards, or responsibilities, for social workers to follow. This code can help Elena sort through what duties she has to various people and organizations.

Ethical Responsibilities at Work • When Elena takes a look at the Code of Ethics, she finds it pretty helpful. She is particularly interested by the ethical standards section, which gives her a more specific look at what her ethical responsibilities are. She thinks that might be the section that helps guide her through her current ethical dilemma, so she wants to look closer at the six standards that the NASW outlines in that section.

Ethical Responsibilities at Work • The first three ethical responsibilities have to do with how social workers should behave themselves at work and the last three deal with social workers in a larger contact. • The first three standards are the responsibilities to clients, responsibilities to colleagues and responsibilities in practice settings

Responsibilities to Clients What are they? • Elena’s responsibilities to clients include things like offering quality and continuity of service, understanding how to work with clients from diverse backgrounds and different cultures, and protecting clients, including making sure they are able to give informed consent. • This portion of the ethics code also covers the importance of avoiding conflicts of interest and sexual misconduct. While these responsibilities are usually thought of as pertaining to the clients that are directly working with a social worker. In reality, they are relevant to all clients. So Elena even has a responsibility to her coworkers’ clients.

Responsibilities to Colleagues What are they? • Elena’s responsibilities to colleagues include respecting colleagues, collaborating with colleagues and intervening when a colleague needs it, as in the case of impairment, incompetence and/or unethical behavior. • That is, if a colleague is not acting as a competent, ethical social worker, Elena has a duty to step in and speak to that colleague and/or the colleague’s supervisor.

Responsibilities in Practice Settings What are They? • Elena’s responsibilities in practice settings include things like behaving ethically as a supervisor and/or educator, behaving ethically with regards to record-keeping and transfer of clients, and committing to professional practice. For example, a supervisor will need to make sure that ethical boundaries are clearly laid out in the workplace. In addition, social work educators should only teach in their area of expertise.

Ethical Responsibilities at Work • Based on these three standards alone, it seems clear to Elena that she needs to do something about her coworker. Whether that involves talking to the coworker and/or talking to the coworker’s supervisor, she needs to step forward.

Ethical Responsibilities in the World • However, those first three standards are not the only ones in the NASW Code of Ethics. The other three standards discuss social work in a larger context. That is, it looks at how social workers like Elena have certain ethical responsibilities in the world at large.

Responsibilities as a Professional • The first of these are Elena’s responsibilities as a professional, which includes acting competently, avoiding dishonesty and misconduct, and recognizing the contributions of others. So if Elena’s coworker is not upholding professional standards, he is not fulfilling his responsibilities as a professional.

Responsibilities to Social Work • Elena’s responsibilities to social work involve contributing to the integrity of the profession and staying educated on research in the field. • That is, the social workers need to make sure they are current on the best practices used in working with clients. If Elena’s colleague is not, he is not fulfilling his responsibilities to the social work field.

Responsibilities to Society • Finally, Elena has responsibilities to society. As a social worker, Elena and those like her are responsible for working towards a better, more inclusive, and supportive society. • This could include social and political action

Summary • The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has released a Code of Ethics for social workers to follow. It outlines the mission of social work, the main reasons for using the guide, overarching ethical principles, and six specific ethical standards for social workers to follow. • The ethical standards include the following:

Summary of Responsibilities • 1. Responsibilities to clients, including offering quality and continuity of service and protecting clients • 2. Responsibilities to colleagues, including respecting colleagues, collaborating with colleagues and intervening when a colleague needs it, as in the case of impairment, incompetence and/or unethical behavior

Summary of Responsibilities • 3. Responsibilities in practice settings, which includes things like behaving ethically as a supervisor and/or educator, behaving ethically with regards to record-keeping and transfer of clients, and committing to professional practice • 4. Responsibilities as a professional, which includes acting competently, avoiding dishonesty and misconduct, and recognizing the contributions of others.

Summary of Responsibilities • 5. Responsibilities to social work, including contributing to the integrity of the profession and staying educated on research in the field • 6. Responsibilities to society, which involves working towards a better more inclusive, and supportive society

QUESTIONS ?

THOUGHT OF THE DAY • DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU