Aspects of the NASW Code of Ethics

In the “Code of Ethics” for the Social Work Profession there are six Ethical principles that apply to everyone in the profession. It is important for all social workers to know the values that are listed in the Ethical Principles of the Code of Ethics for the Social work Profession. Values are a societies system of beliefs, principles, and traditions that define and influence behaviors and practices among people. It is important for all social workers to know the values that are listed in the Ethical Principles of the Code of Ethics for the Social work Profession.

The ethical principles include service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. Service is a very important value that is listed in the Ethical principles in the Social work Code of ethics because a social worker’s primary goal is to help those people who are in need and to address to common social Problems. A social worker has to gain knowledge, values, skills, and methods in order to help other people in need of services and to address social problems that often arise.

As a social worker it is crucial for me to gain enough knowledge, identify my values as well as the profession of social work’s values in the Code of Ethics, skills, and methods so that I will be able to efficiently help other people in need and to address the common social problems in my society. Social Justice is another very important value that is listed in the Ethical Principles of the Social Work Code of Ethics because Social workers strive for change on behalf of those who are oppressed by society. Social workers strive for equality for opportunities for all people of society.

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As a Social Worker it is important for me to stand beside those people who are oppressed by society and to help give them the same opportunities as others in their society. I will have to strive for change of those who are oppressed because they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else in their community. Another important value in the Code of Ethics of the Social Work profession includes Dignity and Worth of the Person. It is crucial for Social Workers to treat all of their clients equally. A Social Worker must treat all people with the same respect no matter what their culture, ethnicity, or their situation may be.

As a Social Worker I will have to be aware that my clients may have a different culture, religion, ethnicity, and many other differences than me but I still have to be able to provide the same services equally. As a Social Worker I will have to give respect to all of my clients. The Value of Importance of Human Relationships is also very important to the Profession of Social Work because it is important for all Social Workers to recognize how important human relationships are to people in society. Social Workers have to be aware that relationships among people are important for change.

Social Workers try to strengthen relationships for their clients and the people in their clients’ lives in an effort to promote, restore, maintain, and to help enhance the wellbeing of their clients. As a Social Worker, I will be responsible to help my clients’ restore and maintain positive relationships between people, family, friends, and communities in an effort to promote positive change in society. Integrity is one of the most important values listed in the Code of Ethics for the Social Work Profession. Social workers have to prove to be trustworthy by being honest and responsible.

In order for me to be an effective Social Worker my supervisor and clients have to know that I am trustworthy, responsible, and honest. As a social worker I will have to respect my clients’ rights to confidentiality in order to prove that I am trustworthy. Once a Social worker loses a clients’ trust it is very difficult to gain it again so it is crucial for a Social Worker not to break the trust of their clients. Competence is another very important value that is listed in the Social Work Profession’s Code of Ethics. Social Workers should only work in areas in which they are comfortable, and knowledgeable in.

If a Social Worker is not knowledgeable or comfortable in then it is extremely difficult for them to identify what resources are available and what is needed in order to help a client. As a Social Worker it is important to gain knowledge to be able to work in many different fields. As a Social Worker I have already identified what fields I want to concentrate on the most but if by some chance I should happen to work in a different field of the profession I will gain the knowledge for that specific position and I will seek the help of superiors and advisors of the Social Work Profession.

Along with the values listed in the Ethical Principles in the Social Work Profession’s Code of Ethics are the Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Clients in which there are sixteen listed in the Code of Ethics. The ten that I have Chosen I believe are the most important in order to be efficient Social Worker. The ten Ethical Responsibilities in which I have chosen include Commitment to Clients, Self Determination, Informed Consent, Competence, Privacy and Confidentiality, Access to Records, Physical Contact, Sexual Relationships, Derogatory Language, and Termination of Services.

All of these Ethical Responsibilities to Clients are I believe to be essential in order to be a professional Social Worker. A Social worker has to have commitment to their Clients because their primary responsibility is to ensure and to promote the wellbeing of their clients. It will be my responsibility as a Social Worker to know the wellbeing of all of my clients and to know what is in their best interest. I will also need to prove my loyalty to my clients but I will also have to inform all of my clients’ that as a Social Worker I have certain legal obligations in which I have to abide by as well.

Another very important Ethical Standard in the Social Work Professions Code of Ethics includes the client’s right to Self Determination. Social Worker has to respect their clients’ rights to self determination and assist them in their efforts in identifying, pursuing, and accomplishing their goals. Self Determination allows clients to make their own decisions for what they want to do in life with the assistance of a Social Worker to guide them through the process as long as it is lawful, and poses no threat or risks to the client.

As a Social Worker I will need to be able to help my clients’ identify, pursue, and accomplish their goals. Informed Consent is a very important ethical standard listed in the Social Work Profession’s Code of ethics as well because a Social Worker is only supposed to provide services in a professionally based relationship. Social Workers are responsible in using clear, easy to understand language to inform their clients of the purpose of services, risks, limitations, requirements, and other important notices as well.

Social Workers must give their clients time to ask questions about the services they are applying for as well as answering those questions. It is extremely important for clients to be able to understand what services they qualify for and the requirement of those services. As a Social Worker I will have to use clear language while speaking to my clients so that I can gain their Informed Consent after they understand what they need in order to qualify for a service. I will have to allow time for my clients to ask questions about the service in which they are applying for so that they fully understand the requirements. Competence s a very important Ethical responsibility because a social worker should only provide services within the boundaries of their own knowledge, training, certification, and license. A social worker should not work in any environment in which they are not qualified for because then they cannot fully provide the services in which may be needed due to their lack of experience. Privacy and confidentiality is very important to a Social Worker’s Clients’. As a social worker it is very important to respect a client’s privacy. It is highly unethical to exploit and share a client’s personal information to anyone in which the client had trusted you with.

The only time it is important to share a client’s information is if it is needed to provide services. I believe that Privacy is important to the client due to their willingness to confide and trust you as a social worker. It is very important for clients to have access to their records. It is up to the social workers to determine just how much of the clients’ records are available to them. A social worker has to protect their clients from mental harm by denying access to certain parts of the records and to interpret the records for their clients. A Social Worker is advised to not have physical contact with any of their clients.

Physical contact can cause psychological harm as well as misinterpretation to clients. It is up to the social worker to set up boundaries between themselves and their clients. Derogatory Language is very unprofessional and should not be used by Social Workers in front of their clients. A social worker is encouraged to speak in a respectable way when talking to clients and while on the job. Under no circumstances is a Social Worker to have Sexual Relationships with previous or current clients. A social worker may not have sexual relations with anyone to which the client is related to either.

Not only is it unprofessional for a Social Worker to have Sexual relations with their clients’, it is also wrong and could cost them their job. Before a Social Worker can Terminate Services to a client they should not abandon a client who is still in need of services. It will be up to me as a Social Worker to assess which clients still need my services and which ones I think are self sufficient and no longer need my services. If I leave my position to seek another opportunity it will be my responsibility to inform my clients upon my departure.

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