Ethical Social Work Practices (Essay Sample)

Ethical Social Work Practices Name Institution Affiliation Introduction For decades, social workers have always and routinely faced with ethical dilemmas in their line of work. In most cases, social work programs usually include professional ethics as well as values with the aim of helping students to prepare for the challenging but at the same time interesting working environment. More so, ethical awareness is considered to be one of the necessary aspects when it comes to social workers. An individual's ability to act professionally and at the same time ethical is vital in the process of delivering quality services to the communities. In the study conducted by Bonecutter (2017), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics highlights principles, which must be followed by all social workers in decision making. These principles and guidelines help social workers to act in the best of their clients despite the contradictions on what they believe in. In this perspective, understanding the ethical, social work practices and dilemmas involves requires one to explore core aspects attached to the field such as values, ethics, culture or race, gender identity, class as well as ethnicity. Values While reflecting on what is happening across the world, especially in the field of social work as a discipline, people are not born with values but they are developed as times goes on. Like any other social worker, I have my personal values that guide me in one way or the other while at work. For example, I have respect for every person, and I treat my clients with dignity. My understanding of code of ethics and willingness to learn more has provided me with an in-depth knowledge of how to deal with or handle ethical dilemmas that I face on a daily basis without compromising my values. In this case, I have always considered my personal values based on realities. As the world continues changing, my values have not changed, but rather expanded because of what I do and how I do it. For example, I consider my integrity, respect for people regardless of their color, race to mention but a few, trust as well as the quality relationship with people to be some of the core values that define my life as a social worker. While citing NASW, Bonecutter (2017) explains that social workers must have integrity, which involves various elements such as honesty, reliability as well as trustworthiness. In this case, I intend not to change my personal values, but rather to expand them with the aim of serving people with dignity. Ethics To me, ethics involves the individual beliefs about what constitutes good or correct behavior of an individual. In this case, ethical principles set by NASW are considered to be theoretical framework, which guides the actions of social workers on daily basis while executing their activities. As a person, my personal ethics are connected with values, and they stem from my belief in God. In this case, my ethical values guide me in all that I do. Besides, I base my ethical values come from how I was natured. In relation to principles that guide social workers as highlighted by DiFranks (2008), having good values is helping me to make better ethical decisions in my line of work. Therefore, ethics is considered to be one of the essential aspects of my life. It is from this perspective that I intend to continue with clear ethical approach towards my clients in the field of social work. Culture/Race The issue of culture and race continues to be one of the subjects that have attracted attention of scholars from different fields. According to NASW, racism is considered to be an ideology or practice that is demonstrated by those with powers over the minority groups (Reamer, 2013). In my understanding, culture and race involve people with different color, race, and ethnicity to mention but a few. In this case, I believe that people should not be discriminated against based on color or cultural heritage, but rather work together to making the world a better place. According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, people have a social responsibility to respect the rights of others despite the differences (Dragu, 2013). On the same note, NASW explains that social workers have a responsibility to ensure that all clients are treated equal regardless of color or cultural heritage (DiFranks, 2008). As a social worker, I believe that am in the right direction because race or culture has never been considered when serving people. Gender Identity Today, gender-related problems continue to affect lives of people, especially women across the globe. For example, research shows that most of the African-American women have always been overlooked in one way or the other. More so, there are other societal gender expectations that women face, which sometimes leads to stress. As a social worker, I always believed that is it my responsibility to be open to understanding issues of both genders. In fact, I do not judge any person based on gender. In relation to United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I believe in a concept that people should have equal rights despite the gender differences. Therefore, there is no doubt that this perspective is a foundation for my successful career as a social worker. Class When it comes to social status or classes of people, I believe that people should be treated equally despite class. In my line of work, I meet people who have suffered various levels of poverty and some experiencing homelessness. In fact, most of them have great fear for the future. However, I believe that these people need to access opportunities like the rest, especially healthcare, education to mention but a few. As a social worker, it is part of my responsibility to contribute to changing the lives of all people regardless of their class levels. Ethnicity As a social worker, I believe that having in-depth knowledge about all various cultures is an added advantage in my line of work. For example, learning about my client's culture can enable me to respect their values and beliefs. In this case, it is worth mentioning that becoming culturally competent requires one to have knowledge, understand other people's positions and respect their cultural norms. Examples of Ethical Dilemma First, ethical dilemmas have types, especially in the field of social work. The two core types include pure or absolute and approximate dilemma. In this case, there is a difference when handling such dilemmas. In the field of social work, there are various potential ethical dilemmas that people face. Most of the ethical dilemmas in the field of social work occur when two or more required standards apply to a given situation but conflicting with each other. For example, below is one of the imagined ethical dilemmas. This dilemma happens when one of the social workers is legally required to make reports about any form of child and domestic abuse, but there are other concerns about releasing information gathered. In this case, the social worker may find him or herself experiencing pressure and tension between the legal requirements to deliver reports as was well as the aspect of respecting the confidentiality of his or her clients. The Code of Ethics by NASW expresses the value and principles that guide the social work profession. Despite the dilemma, social workers must respect the principles set. In this case, having better values usually helps one to solve or handle any ethical dilemma in one way or the other. Strate...