NASW
Six purposes:
1. Identifies core values on which social work's mission is based
2. Summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the
profession's core values and establishes specific ethical
standards that should be used to guide social work practice
3. Helps social workers identify relevant considerations when
professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise.
Purpose 4. Provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold
the social work profession accountable.
5. Socializes practitioners new to the field to social work's
mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards.
6. Articulates standards that the social work profession can use
to assess whether social workers have engaged in unethical
conduct
Social Work Values and
Principles
Ethical Values • Six values and the principles which flow
from them
and Principles • Guide decision making and conduct
• Does not guarantee ethical behaviour
• Must not be interpreted as a set of rules
Ethical Values and Principles
• Value: Service
• Ethical Principle: Social workers' primary goal is to
help people in need and to address social
problems.
• Value: Social Justice
• Ethical Principle: Social workers challenge social
injustice
• Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person
• Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
inherent dignity and worth of the person.
Ethical Values and Principles
• Value: Importance of Human Relationships
• Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central
importance of human relationships
• Value: Integrity
• Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy
manner
• Value: Competence
• Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of
competence and develop and enhance their professional
expertise.
Ethical Standards
Responsibility to Clients
• Commitment to clients
• Self-determination
• Informed consent
• Competence
• Cultural awareness and social diversity
• Conflicts of Interest
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Access to records
• Sexual relationships
• Physical contact
• Sexual harassment
• Derogatory language
• Payment for services
• Clients lacking decision-making capacity
Responsibility to • Interruption of services
Clients
• Referral of services
• Termination of services
Responsibility to
Colleagues
• Respect
• Confidentiality
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Dispute involving colleagues
• Consultation
• Sexual relationships
• Sexual harassment This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
• Impairment of colleagues
Responsibility
• Incompetence of colleagues
to Colleagues
• Unethical conduct of colleagues
Responsibility in Practice
Settings
• Supervision and consultation
• Education and training
• Performance evaluation
• Client Records
• Billing
• Client transfer
• Administration
• Continuing education and staff
development
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA • Commitments to employers
• Labour-management disputes
• Competence
• Discrimination
• Private conduct
Responsibilities as
Professionals • Dishonesty, fraud and
deception
• Impairment
• Misrepresentation
• Solicitation
• Acknowledging credit
Responsibility to the Social
Work Profession
• Integrity of the profession
• Evaluation and research
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Responsibility • Social welfare
to Broader • Public participation
Society • Public emergencies
• Social and political action
Reference
• NASW Code of Ethics (2017)
