ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence are known as _____________
What are social work’s core values?
Individually, values guide our behavior; Professionally, our values similarly guide our behavior as social workers. These values communicate our profession's priorities and should impact our behavior with clients, colleagues, and broader society.
Raelynn is the administrator of an after school program for children. She constantly evaluates the program data, monitors and evaluates policies, the implementation of programs, and practice interventions in her program to determine if any changes need to be made. Raelynn is adhering to the ethical standard of _______________________________.
What is Evaluation and Research
The reason you have to take research courses as a social worker, is because we have a responsibility outlined in our Code of Ethics to engage in research and evaluation, and to continuously seek out and use research to inform our practice, and to do so responsibly.
Nicole and Kaeden are teen housing clients with two young children. The couple struggles to pay rent with one income, but they adamantly do not want to put their children in childcare and Nicole would prefer to stay home with the children. Rather than encouraging Nicole to work, their case manager Tyson, continues to help Kaeden look for a higher paying job. Tyson is respecting the family's right to ____________.
What is Self Determination.
One of the hardest decisions to make, is the decision to let your clients make a choice that you feel isn’t in their best interest. Respecting a client’s right to self-determination is a core belief of the social work profession. Of course, if there is imminent risk of harm to self or others, then self-determination can be limited.
Even though Phil has recently had some very tough decisions to make regarding his clients, Phil has cancelled his supervision for the past 3 weeks because he feels he has the necessary knowledge and skills to work independently. In doing so, Phil is not adhering to the ethical standard to receive _____________ and ______________.
What is Supervision and Consultation
In social work, we never make tough decisions in isolation, and we value the supervision that is provided to us for continuous learning.
Morgan has been trained to doing therapy with sexual abuse victims, and has been doing this work for many years. She is now going back to school for her Master's Degree to increase her professional knowledge and skills to apply them in practice. This is an example of ______
What is Competence.
Competence refers to having the knowledge and skills that are necessary for delivering services. Even when we are done with formal education, it is still important that we stay up to date on practice methods and what is going on in society.
Crisis worker Craig turns on the TV and sees in the next state a tornado has destroyed several large metropolitan cities. Craig volunteers to provide appropriate professional services to the greatest extent possible. Craig is fulfilling his ethical obligation to help in ________________________.
What is Public Emergencies
Part of a social worker’s skillset includes the ability to practice in crisis situations. Given this, if public emergencies were to occur, it would be important to evaluate whether you have the competence and ability to help provide services during that time.
Jane is a therapist who is licensed and trained to provide individual, couple, and family therapy. She has a client who is inquiring about hypnosis. Jane tells the client she is unable to do hypnosis because she has not been trained to do so. This is an example of __________.
What is Competence.
One of the greatest things about social work is the variety of ways you can apply your skills, and the ability to practice in different areas. Even so, it is vital that you are competent to practice in whatever area or intervention method you are choosing to use.
Shonda works as a hospital social work supervisor and is part of a hospital committee that puts on an annual ethics education series. This sponsored ethics series is an example of the ethical standard of _____________________.
What is Continuing Education and Staff Development
Just like we are required as social workers to received continuing education, social work administrators and supervisors are ethically bound to help provide this continuing education to their staff.
Terry recognizes the struggles of men re-entering into society from jail and prison. He understands that poverty, unemployment, and discrimination often contribute to these individuals winding up re-incarcerated. Terry striving to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources is an example of _____________.
What is social justice.
Social justice has to do with pursing social changes on behalf of marginalized people, such as in regard to poverty, unemployment and discrimination; and at the individual-level, emphasizes that all people can receive fair and reasonable treatment.
Jessica works with her husband's best friend Jake in a child welfare agency as Social Workers. Jake tells Jessica that he just found out that he didn't pass one of his final BSW courses, so didn't end up receiving his diploma. Jake says that he is scheduled to retake the class and hopes that their boss doesn't find out that he isn't yet a social worker before he has a chance to complete it and obtain his diploma. Jessica tells Jake that she doesn't feel comfortable keeping that secret and that she has to tell their boss because the organization could get in a lot of trouble if he is misrepresenting himself. In this case, Jessica is protecting the agency and Jake from _________ .
What is Misrepresentation
Social workers should claim only those relevant professional credentials they actually possess and take steps to correct any inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their credentials by others.
Master's student Michael is in a staffing meeting where they are assigning cases. Supervisor Susan tells Michael he has been requested specifically. Michael reads the referral and realizes the clients who are requesting him are old high school friends. Becoming their case manager would be a __________________.
What is Conflict of Interest
There are many ways that interests can conflict in social work practice, but this is an example of “dual relationships”. When you live in smaller communities dual relationships can be a larger challenge, but they should always be avoided whenever possible. Now that social media and networking sites are increasingly popular, another way to avoid conflict of interest is to avoid having any communication with clients using technology that is outside of work-related purposes.
Ashlyn saves all her documentation work for the end of the week. Often she puts in 2 hours to write all her assessments, case notes and letters to the courts each week. She often includes inaccurate details as she cannot remember exactly what happened in the session, and misrepresents the services provided. These actions go against the standard of accurate _____________________ in the practice setting.
What is Client Records
“If it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen”. Making time for your documentation, and ensuring that your documentation is complete and well-done, is just as important as the client-interaction itself.
Ellie works in a family shelter. She often sees clients who are grateful for a place to stay; however, she also encounters clients who are angry about their situations and project their feelings about their situations in an unkind way. Ellie's ability to treat each person in a caring, respectful fashion is an example of _____________.
What is Dignity and Worth of the Person.
In addition to treating people in a caring and respectful way, this includes promoting people’s self-determination and recognizing their inherent capacity to change.
Savion helps the local mental health board promote support for their upcoming levy. He knows that money raised by the levy will expand choice and opportunity for people with disabilities, a group that is often vulnerable, disadvantaged, oppressed, and exploited. This is an example of __________
What is social and political action
Most social workers aren’t politicians, and may not be involved in public policy daily, but it is our responsibility to advocate for changes that are representative of the profession’s values. Having an understanding of the political and social environment and how you can fit into it, is important in professional social work practice.
Enid is a new housing client in the Youth Counts program. She is on probation for some trouble she got into a couple of months ago. Enid's case manager, Carlee, has her sign a release of information to contact the probation officer. This follows the standard of _______________.
What is Privacy and Confidentiality.
Social work is multidisciplinary in nature, but even when you are working with other professionals who are engaged with your client, you must still ensure appropriate privacy and confidentiality protections. Unless communication is mandated by court, a release of information must be completed. This section of the CoE is the longest, because it is one of the most important factors in our relationships with our clients.
Shantell discusses with her new client whether consultation with the previous service provider is in the client’s best interest. Shantell is being careful to follow the ethical standard of _________________.
What is Client Transfer
When a client comes to us from another agency (perhaps they moved and are establishing care with a new mental heath center), part of the discussion in the initial visit should include whether to contact their old provider about their relationships. Some clients may be hesitant, while others may be insistent. Of course, a release of information must be completed if contact is going to be made.
Barry is a community organizer. He understands that strengthening relationships among people enhances the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities. This is an example of __________.
What is Importance of Human Relationships
The helping process is a partnership and relationships can be a way of promoting change.
Matteo is working with a group of clients living in an apartment building owned by a known slum landlord. He advocates for his clients to have living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs. This is an example of _____________
What is Social Welfare
Our advocacy to promote the general welfare of society includes not only individuals (like in this scenario), but also broader local and even global society.
Connie receives intake paperwork for a client who is a recent immigrant from Ethiopia. Prior to meeting with the client for the first time, Connie researches the history of Ethiopa and common cultural norms. Connie is demonstrating the ethical standard of ____________________.
What is Cultural Competence
While our practices and organizational policies cannot always align with non-U.S. white culture, having knowledge of common cultural beliefs can help us to establish rapport, have conversations with our clients about our practice abilities and limitations in terms of alignment with their culture, and can help us to complete our assessment processes and identify potential strengths and resources related to their culture.
Adam's organization agreed to pay for his MSW degree if he agreed to work as a supervisor for the organization for the duration of the MSW program and 2 years after degree completion. Adam accepts the organization's offer and stays at the organization for the agreed-upon time. He is demonstrating the ethical principle of ___________________________.
What is Commitments to Employers
More and more, organizations are trying to help their employees obtain advanced degrees if it means that they will then be able to provide a needed skill at their agency. While circumstances change, ethically you should uphold this commitment to your organization for the good of the clients and to not waste agency resources.