Code of Ethics in Social Work

This article discusses the importance of a code of ethics in social work and outlines the ethical responsibilities of social workers in Australia.

Social Work Practice Method I
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A code of ethics is a guide of basic principles that are specially designed to help professionals
carry out their daily activities with integrity and honesty. It’s basically a document that outlines
the mission statement as well as how professionals are supposed to carry out their business and
how they are to approach various problems that present themselves each and every day
(Forrester, Westlake, Glynn, 2012 p.45).
Social work as per what is agreed jointly by the international federation of social workers is a
profession that engages itself in various activities such as promoting social change, enhancing
problem-solving in diverse human relationships as well as their empowerment. Social work
revolves around various major issues such as working with individuals, groups and communities
with the aim of raising their awareness and acting accordingly so as to bring about a social
systematic change and reduce instances of inequality, injustice and social barriers in the
community.
Just like any other profession, social work in Australia is guided by a code of ethics. It’s a code
that was specifically designed so as to guide social workers all over Australia be collectively and
individually be responsible and accountable as they pursue their professional goals and aims
(Ungar, 2013 p.101).
Some important aspects of the code are outlined below;
Proving some kind of focus for various professional social work identities
Guide employs in the event of determining their reciprocal rights with various stakeholders such
as employees, the AASW as well as their colleagues.

Act as a clarification tool for social workers and their actions in the event of disputes that could
either be legal or industrial in nature.
Well, before understanding the ethical codes in social work, it’s important that we first get to
know the important values of this particular profession, not only in Australia but also across the
globe. The three important values of social work are; Respect for persons, Social justice and
Professional Integrity. These three are the guiding principal values of social work.
Moreover, there are also various ethical responsibilities that social workers have to abide by.
Some of the important ethical responsibilities for social workers in Australia are outlined below;
a) Respect for human dignity and worth-Here social workers are expected to demonstrate total
respect for their clients regardless of their age, gender or race and in so doing, they preserve and
promote their dignity (Kimball & Kim, 2013 p.78).
b) Commitment to social justice and human rights-This requires that social workers be in a
position to promote various policies and practices that fully uphold human rights and also their
client's legal protection. In addition to that preserve their full commitment to social justice
especially when engaging in various social actions.
c) Professional boundaries and dual relationships-This requires that social workers do not in any
circumstance whatsoever engage in any form of sexual conduct especially with persons whom
they are directly involved in at a professional level. This could be their clients, their client’s
relatives or anyone close to them

d) Conflicts of interest-This requires social workers to always remain aware of some potential
conflicts of interest that might arise and that could affect their ability to exercise some of their
crucial professional duties
In conclusion, there are general ethical responsibilities of social workers to their clients and also
to their colleagues. Some of the responsibilities that social workers have to their clients consist of
the following; Records, informed consent, client self-determination, a priority of clients’
interests, informed privacy and confidentiality and termination of service (Gray & Coates, 2012
p.34).

References
Forrester, D., Westlake, D. and Glynn, G., 2012. Parental resistance and social worker skills:
Towards a theory of motivational social work. Child & Family Social Work, 17(2), pp.118-129.
Gray, M. and Coates, J., 2012. Environmental ethics for social work: Social work's responsibility
to the non‐human world. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(3), pp.239-247.
Kimball, E. and Kim, J., 2013. Virtual boundaries: Ethical considerations for use of social media
in social work. Social Work, 58(2), pp.185-188..
Ungar, M., 2013. Resilience after maltreatment: The importance of social services as facilitators
of positive adaptation. Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(2-3), pp.110-115.