Code of Ethics- National Association of Social Workers

The National Association of Social workers (NASW)

In a pamphlet entitled "Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Work (NASW, 2008). The Primary mission statement of the profession, as stated in this pamphlet, is "....to enhance human well=being and to help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty."

The Focus of the Profession of Social work

Is, first, the well-being of the individual in the context of the environment and second, the well-being of the society in general.

Values

Define a belief system.

Ethics

Define a standard of conduct based on that belief system.

Professions Core Values Include:

Service, Social Justice, Dignity and Worth of the person, Importance of Human Relationships, Integrity, and Competence.

Ethical Standards of Behavior for a social Worker in Six areas:

Social workers' ethical responsibilities to clients; social workers' ethical responsibility to colleagues; social workers' ethical responsibilities in practice with settings; Social workers' ethical responsibilities as professionals; social workers' ethical responsibilities to the social work profession; and social workers' ethical responsibilities to the broader society.

1. Social worker' Ethical Responsibilities to Clients:

Commitment to client; Self-Determination; Informed Consent; Competence; Cultural Competence Competence and Social Diversity; Conflicts of Interest; Privacy Confidentiality; Access to records; Sexual Relationships; Physical Contact; Sexual Harassment; Derogatory Language; payment for Services; Clients who Lack Decision-Making Capacity; Interruption of Services; Termination of Services.

Commitment to Clients

The primary responsibility of a social worker is to promote the well-being of his or her client; on occasion, the interest of society or the demands of the law my take precedence (social workers are required by law in all states to report suspected child abuse).

Self-Determination

Social workers should support their clients' right to self-determination; an exception to this is if the social worker believes the client is in imminent danger of harm to him or herself or to others.

Informed Consent

Social workers should take the appropriate measure to ensure that the client (or the person legally responsible for the client) understands fully the following: purpose of the services; tasks associated with services to be rendered; limits on services; imposed by third-party payer cost; service alternatives; and clients' right to decline or discontinue services. Consent should be obtained in writing from the client before video or audio taping clients or sharing information about the client with a third party.

Competence

Social workers should only provide services that they are able to provide by virtue of their training and professional experience. Social workers should refrain from using new treatment approaches until they have appropriately trained and supervised by experts in close interventions. Social workers should be particularly careful when considering the ue of practice that are not based on recognized standards of social work. Social works should not use techniques that are outside of their scope of practice.

Cultural Competence and Social diversity

Social workers should be knowledgeable about culture (including an impact on human behavior), the cultures of the clients with whom they work, and the nature of diversity and oppression. Social worker should make sure that they have the necessary training to provide culturally sensitive services.

Conflicts of Interest

Social workers should avoid conflicts of interest, inform clients of real or possible conflicts of interest, and seek to resolve conflicts of interest in a manner that promotes and protects clients' interest. Social workers should avoid potentially harmful deal relationships with clients. When providing services to individuals related to each other, social workers should carefully clarify the nature of their role with each party and make every effort to avoid conflicts of interest.

Privacy an Confidentiality

Social workers inform new clients of their right to confidentiality and of the limits of confidentiality. This includes the legal requirements that suspected child abuse be reported, the inability of social work to ensure that participants in daily and group therapy will observe confidentiality and the legal requirements in family and group therapy will observe confidentiality and the legal requirements to warn a potential victim for whom a client intends to harm. (Tarasoff vs. the University of California Board of Regents). Social workers should avoid talking about clients in public laces; avoid referring to clients by name when transmitting client information to a third party; ask for information about the client that is pertinent to the purpose of the services being provided.

Access to Records

Social workers should ensure that clients have reasonable access to their own records. If their is a real potential that exposure to portions or to the whole of the clients's record could harm the client, the social worker should either assist the client in understanding his or her file or, if this would not prevent the client from being harmed, withhold the potentially harmful portion of the file and document in writing the rational for taking this course of action.

Sexual Relationships

Social workers should not engage in sexual relationships with current clients, with former clients, or with individuals with whom the client has a close personal relationship. Social workers should not provide services to individuals with whom they have had a previous sexual relationship.

Physical Contact

Social workers should avoid physical contact who might be psychologically harmed by the contact.

Sexual Harassment

Social workers should not engage in any behavior with clients, verbal or physical, that is considered sexual harassment; prohibited behaviors include, but are not limited to, making sexual advances, asking for sexual favors, and soliciting sex.

Derogatory Language

Social workers should avoid the use of derogatory and/or disrespectful language when speaking with and talking about clients, or in written communication.

Payment for Services

Fee established for service by social workers should be "fair, reasonable and commensurate with the services performed," an important consideration in determining the fee for a service should be the ability of the client to pay . Generally speaking, social workers should not enter into bartering arrangements with clients ( they should not trade professional services for services and goods provided by the client).

Clients Who Lack Decision-Making Capacity

Social workers who are providing services to clients who do not have the capacity to make informed decisions have a responsibility to carefully protect h interest and rights of these clients.

Interruption of Services

Social workers should do all they reasonably can to make sure their unavailability, relocation, illness, disability, or death does not interfere with continuity of services.

Termination Services

Social workers have a responsibility to terminate services to clients when the services are no longer needed or desired by the client. If a social worker determines that it is necessary to terminate the client prior to the completion of services, the social worker should assist the client in finding another provider.

2. Social worker's Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues:

Respect, Confidentiality, Interdisciplinary collaboration, Disputes Involving Colleagues, Consultation, Referral for Services, Sexual Relationships, Sexual Harassment, Impairment of Colleagues, Incompetence of Colleagues, Unethical Conduct of Colleagues.

Respect

Social workers have an ethical responsibility to treat their colleagues respectfully and to accurately represent their colleagues' qualifications, obligations and perspectives. Social workers should not engage "unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues" when communicating with professionals or with clients. Social worker should cooperate with other professionals when doing so promotes the interests and well-being of others.

Confidentiality

Social workers have the responsibility to respect and protect confidential information obtained from colleagues and to ensure that their colleagues respect their need to protect confidential information, as well.

Interdisciplinary Collaborations

Social workers who serve on interdisciplinary teams should use their social work orientation to assist the team in making decisions that will most likely further the well-being of the client. If a team makes a decision in opposition to the ethical standards of the social work profession, the social worker should strive to resolve the problem through appropriate means.

Disputes Involving Colleagues

Social workers have a responsibility to avoid using a dispute between a colleague and employer to advance his or her own professional interest. Social workers should avoid involving their clients in disputes they are having with professional colleagues.

Consultation

Social workers should consult with colleagues who have specific expertise, if it benefits the client to do so. When consulting with colleagues, social workers should disclose only information about clients that is pertinent to the consultation.

Referral for Services

A social worker has a responsibility to refer a client to other professionals when the client requires services that the social worker is unqualified to provide. The referring social worker has the responsibility to assist the client in making contact and arrangements for services with the new service provider. Social workers may not receive or give payment for a referral.

Sexual Relationships

Social workers should not engage in sexual activities with subordinates (students, supervised, trainees) nor shall they engage in sexual activities with colleagues if to do so could result in a conflict of interest.

Sexual Harassment

social workers should not engage in sexual harassment of colleagues or subordinates.

Impairment of Colleagues

A social worker with "direct knowledge" that a colleague's ability to provide services is being negatively affected by personal circumstances ( a mental illness or a substance abuse problem), has a responsibility , feasible, to speak with the colleague about he problem and to encourage the colleague to get help. If the colleague is unwilling to get the needed help, the social worker should follow established procedures for notifying the appropriate person or entity.

Incompetence of Colleagues

Social workers' responsibility to colleagues who are functioning outside of their area of competence is the same as their responsibility to colleagues whose ability to provide services is being impaired personal problems.

UnEthical Conduct of Colleagues

Social workers have an ethical responsibility to ensure that the unethical behavior of a colleague is addressed either directly with the colleague, if this is appropriate, or to the proper authorities social workers need to know the prescribed procedures for making ethical complaints. Social workers have a responsibility to provide needed assistance to colleagues who are being falsely accused of ethical conduct.

3. Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities in Practice Settings:

Supervision and Consultation; Education and training; performance and Evaluation; Client Records; Billing; Client transfer; Administration; Continuing Education and Staff Development; Commitments to Employers; labor-Managment Disputes.

Supervision and Consultation

Social workers who supervise or provide consultation services should have the requisite to do so and should only provide supervision and consultation within their areas of competence. They are responsible to stay up to date in areas in which they provide supervision or consultation. Social workers who provide these services should set "clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive" boundaries, avoid deal relationships that have the potential to harm or result in the exploration of supervisees and evaluate the performance of supervisees in a a fair and respectful manner.

Education and Training

Social workers functioning in the capacity of educators, field instructors, or trainers should provide instruction only in their areas of competence and should establish clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries. Social workers should take necessary steps to routinely inform clients when students are providing services. Social workers should avoid deal relationships with students and evaluate the performance of students in a fair and respectful manner.

Performance Evaluation

Social workers who are called upon to evaluate the performance of others should do so in a fair and respectful manner, on the basis of nearly defined criteria.

Client Records

Social worker should be sure that their client records are accurate, reflect services provided, contain sufficient information, are maintained in a timely manner, including day information pertinent to services provided to the client, and protect, as far as possible and appropriate, the privacy of clients. Client records should be stored, post-termination, the number of years specified by state law or relevant contracts.

Billing

Social workers should be sure that the specific services provided and the individual who provided the services are accurately reflected in billing.

Client Transfer

A social worker who is contracted for services by an individual who is currently receiving services form another agency or colleague should not agree to provide services until the client's needs and the nature of the relationship with their current service provider are carefully considered. A social worker who begins to work with a client who has previously received services from another agency or colleague should discuss with the client whether it would be in the clients best interest for the social worker to consult with the previous service provider.

Administration

Social workers administrative positions should advocate within and outside of their agencies for adequate resources to address their clients' meds and for open and fair resources allocation procedures. Social workers should also take reasonable steps to ensure that the agency allocates sufficient resources to provide staff with appropriate supervision and that the working environment of the agency is in harmony with the NASW Code of Ethics, social work administration should do all that they can to rectify situations in their organizations that are in any way a violation of the NASW Code of ethics.

Continuing Education and Staff Development

When responsible for staff, social work administrators and supervisors should take reasonable steps to provide or arrange for continuing education and staff development. The focus of continuing education and staff development should be current knowledge and emerging issues relevant to social work practice ad ethics.

Commitments to Employers

Social workers should generally keep commitments made to employees and employing organizations, take reasonable steps to educate employers about social works' ethical obligations and the implications of those obligations for practice, and work to improve employing agencies' policies, procedures, procedures and the quality of the services the provide. Social workers should reasonable steps to bring their organizations' practice into harmony with the NASW code of ethics, act to prevent and eliminate discrimination in their employing organizations, only accept employment or arrange student placement in organizations that follow fair personnel practices and responsibly manage the resources of their employing organizations.

Labor-management Disputes

Social workers may organize to improve client services and to improve working conditions. The behavior of social workers involved in labor-arrangmet disputes, job actions should be in harmony with the values, ethical principles, and standards of the profession of social work. Any action taken by a social worker should be preceded by a careful examination of the issues and of the impact their actions may have on clients.

4. Social Workers' Responsibility as Professionals

Competence; Discrimination; private Conduct; Dishonesty, Fraud, and Deception; Impairment; Misrepresentation; Solicitations; Acknowledging Credits.

Competence

Social worker should only accept responsibility or employment soon the basis of current competence or the intention to gain the necessary competence. Social workers should stay up to date in the field by continuing education opportunities relevant to social work practice and ethics. the practice of social workers should be based on recognized knowledge relevant to social work practice and ethics.

Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.

Private conduct

Should not interfere with their ability to fulfill professional responsibilities.

Dishonesty, Fraud, and Deceptions

Social workers should not take any part in dishonesty, fraud, and deception.

Impairment

Social workers should not permit their personal problems to interfere with their professional judgment and performance, nor should personal problems be allowed to jeopardize the best interest of the client. Social workers should seek help for themselves as soon as they become aware that their personal problems are interfering with their professional judgment and performance.

Misrepresentation

Social workers should carefully distinguish between statements made and action taken as private individuals verses those made as representative of the profession, a professional social worker organization, or the social worker's employing agency. When representing a professional social work organization, social workers should accurately communicate the official and authorized positions of the organization. Social workers should be careful to accurately represent their professional qualifications to clients, agencies, and the public, and to correct inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their credentials by others.

Solicitations

Social workers should not engage in uninvited solicitation of potential clients who are vulnerable to undue influence, manipulation, or coercion, nor should they engage in solicitation of testimonial endorsement from current clients or from others vulnerable to undue influence.

Acknowledging Credits

Social workers should only take responsibility and credit for work they themselves have performed to which they have contributed, and they should acknowledge the work and contributions of others.

5. Social Workers' Ethnical Responsibilities to the Social Social Work Profession:

Integrity of the Profession; Evaluation and Research.

Integrity of the profession

Social workers should maintain and promote high standards of practice, uphold and advocate the values, ethics, knowledge and mission of the profession, and increase the integrity of the profession by engaging in appropriate study, research, discussion, and responsible criticism of the profession. They should contribute their time and expertise to promoting respect for the social worker profession, contribute to the knowledge base of the profession, and act to prevent the practice of social work by unauthorized and unqualified individuals.

Evaluation and Research

Social workers should participate in research that involves monitoring and evaluating polices, program implementation and practice interventions, and keep current with and fully use the research of others. They should educate themselves, their students and their colleagues about responsible research practice, including; consulting with the appropriate institutional review boards; obtaining voluntary and written and conformed consent from participants or from an appropriate proxy; informing participants of their right to withdraw from evaluation or research without penalty; making sure that participants have access to supportive services; protecting participants from unnecessary physical or mental distress, harm, danger, or deprivation; using data only for professional purposes; working to ensure the anonymity and confidentiality of participants and informing participants of how their privacy will be protected; report findings accurately and correcting any errors later discovered in published data; being alert to and avoiding conflicts of interest and duel relationships with research participants.

6. Social Workers' Ethical Responsibilities to the broader society:

Social Welfare; Public Participation; Public Emergencies; Social and Political Action.

Social Welfare

Social workers are responsible to the general welfare of society, as well as for the development of people, their communities and their environment, social workers advocate for living conditions that are in harmony with the fulfillment of basic human needs they have a responsibility to promote values and institutions compatible with the realization of social justice.

Public Participation

Social workers have a responsibility to facilitate informed participation by the public in shaping of social policies and institutions alike.

Public Emergencies

In the case of public emergencies, social workers are responsible for providing appropriate professional services to the greatest extent possible.

Social and Political Action

Social workers should participate in social and political activity with the goal of ensuring equal access to the resources of society needed to meet basic human needs and to enable individuals too develop fully. Social worker should promote conditions and policies that promote respect for cultural and social diversity everywhere and that safeguard the rights of all people. Social workers have a responsibility to work to prevent and eliminate any form of domination exploitation of and discrimination against any individual or group on the basis of race, ethnicity, rational origin, color, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability.