Social workers should base practice on recognized knowledge, including empirically based knowledge, relevant to social work and social work ethics. The actions of social workers who are involved in labor¬management disputes, job actions, or labor strikes should be guided by the profession’s values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. When setting fees, social workers should ensure that the fees are fair, reasonable, and commensurate with the services performed. Module I - Risk and the Therapeutic Relationship. Social workers—not their clients, their clients’ relatives, or other individuals with whom the client maintains a personal relationship—assume the full burden for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client. (Examples include when a social worker is required by law to report that a client has abused a child or has threatened to harm self or others. Social workers should not engage in solicitation of testimonial endorsements (including solicitation of consent to use a client’s prior statement as a testimonial endorsement) from current clients or from other people who, because of their particular circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence. Social workers should terminate services to clients and professional relationships with them when such services and relationships are no longer required or no longer serve the clients’ needs or interests. Social workers should refer clients to other professionals when the other professionals’ specialized knowledge or expertise is needed to serve clients fully or when social workers believe that they are not being effective or making reasonable progress with clients and that additional service is required. Social workers should report evaluation and research findings accurately. In general, clients’ interests are primary. If social workers engage in conduct contrary to this prohibition or claim that an exception to this prohibition is warranted because of extraordinary circumstances, it is social workers—not their clients—who assume the full burden of demonstrating that the former client has not been exploited, coerced, or manipulated, intentionally or unintentionally. Ranked among the best ten schools of social work in the nation and located in the vibrant city of Austin, we offer a caring, small-sized community in a top-tier research university. Social workers should work to improve employing agencies’ policies and procedures and the efficiency and effectiveness of their services. Social workers should under no circumstances engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with current clients, whether such contact is consensual or forced. Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated. Social workers’ decisions and actions should be consistent with the spirit as well as the letter of this Code. Social workers who accept goods or services from clients as payment for professional services assume the full burden of demonstrating that this arrangement will not be detrimental to the client or the professional relationship. Social workers should be diligent stewards of the resources of their employing organizations, wisely conserving funds where appropriate and never misappropriating funds or using them for unintended purposes. Pennsylvania's largest association of social workers. First Time: (National Association of Social Workers [NASW], 2017) Subsequent Time(s) : (NASW, 2017) Zine Librarians Code of Ethics This applies whether social workers disclose confidential information on the basis of a legal requirement or client consent. Principles and standards must be applied by individuals of good character who discern moral questions and, in good faith, seek to make reliable ethical judgments. Code of Ethics Training Take the official NASW national training on the revisions to the NASW Code of Ethics for free, or … The Code provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold the social work profession accountable. If so, you should know about the NASW Code of Ethics. Social workers should assist in making appropriate arrangements for continuation of services when necessary. The mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. Social workers should inform clients when a real or potential conflict of interest arises and take reasonable steps to resolve the issue in a manner that makes the clients’ interests primary and protects clients’ interests to the greatest extent possible. 95. Social workers should avoid accepting goods or services from clients as payment for professional services. Sexual harassment includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Each participant will be able to: 1. Providing clinical services to a former sexual partner has the potential to be harmful to the individual and is likely to make it difficult for the social worker and individual to maintain appropriate professional boundaries. The NASW Code of Ethics is a set of standards that guide the professional conduct of social workers. It does not. Social workers should respect clients’ right to privacy. Copyright 2021 by NASW Oregon Chapter. 1.03 Informed Consent, 1.05 Cultural Competence and Social Diversity. Social workers should include sufficient and timely documentation in records to facilitate the delivery of services and to ensure continuity of services provided to clients in the future. Social workers should be aware of the impact of the political arena on practice and should advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice. 1.01 Commitment to Clients Social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the well¬being of clients. Social workers should provide clients with reasonable access to records concerning the clients. The National Association of Social Workers is a professional organization for individuals in the social work and counseling fields. Social workers engaged in evaluation or research should ensure the anonymity or confidentiality of participants and of the data obtained from them. Sexual harassment includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. Social workers should inform participants in family, couples, or group counseling that social workers cannot guarantee that all participants will honor such agreements. If the disagreement cannot be resolved, social workers should pursue other avenues to address their concerns consistent with client well¬being. Social workers should not discuss confidential information in public or semipublic areas such as hallways, waiting rooms, elevators, and restaurants. Dual or multiple relationships can occur simultaneously or consecutively.). professional social workers in the world. Social work administrators should take reasonable steps to eliminate any conditions in their organizations that violate, interfere with, or discourage compliance with the Code. These standards concern (1) social workers’ ethical responsibilities to clients, (2) social workers’ ethical responsibilities to colleagues, (3) social workers’ ethical responsibilities in practice settings, (4) social workers’ ethical responsibilities as professionals, (5) social workers’ ethical responsibilities to the social work profession, and (6) social workers’ ethical responsibilities to the broader society. Social workers should ensure that such colleagues understand social workers’ obligation to respect confidentiality and any exceptions related to it. Social workers should routinely review the professional literature and participate in continuing education relevant to social work practice and social work ethics. This discussion should occur as soon as possible in the social worker¬client relationship and as needed throughout the course of the relationship. Ethical responsibilities flow from all human relationships, from the personal and familial to the social and professional. Social workers who function as educators or field instructors for students should not engage in any dual or multiple relationships with students in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the student. This may involve consultation with an agency-based or social work organization’s ethics committee, a regulatory body, knowledgeable colleagues, supervisors, or legal counsel. Social workers should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues in communications with clients or with other professionals. The CASW also acknowledges that other codes of ethics … organization of Value: Service. Social workers should store records following the termination of services to ensure reasonable future access. Social workers engaged in evaluation or research should obtain voluntary and written informed consent from participants, when appropriate, without any implied or actual deprivation or penalty for refusal to participate; without undue inducement to participate; and with due regard for participants’ well¬being, privacy, and dignity. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono service). The Code summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the profession’s core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards … The 2017 revision includes 19 new changes that address ethical responsibilities when using technology. Social work administrators should take reasonable steps to ensure that the working environment for which they are responsible is consistent with and encourages compliance with the NASW Code of Ethics. When consulting with colleagues about clients, social workers should disclose the least amount of information necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation. Ethical decision making in a given situation must apply the informed judgment of the individual social worker and should also consider how the issues would be judged in a peer review process where the ethical standards of the profession would be applied. This module is designed to complete the learning objectives outlined below. Both clients’ requests and the rationale for withholding some or all of the record should be documented in clients’ files. The NASW Code of Ethics is a set of standards that guide the professional conduct of social workers. Social workers continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice. Social workers who believe that a colleague has acted unethically should seek resolution by discussing their concerns with the colleague when feasible and when such discussion is likely to be productive. Social workers should use clear and understandable language to inform clients of the purpose of the services, risks related to the services, limits to services because of the requirements of a third¬party payer, relevant costs, reasonable alternatives, clients’ right to refuse or withdraw consent, and the time frame covered by the consent. Social workers should consider ethical theory and principles generally, social work theory and research, laws, regulations, agency policies, and other relevant codes of ethics, recognizing that among codes of ethics social workers should consider the NASW Code of Ethics as their primary source. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is the largest membership Social workers should take adequate measures to discourage, prevent, expose, and correct the unethical conduct of colleagues. Some of the standards that follow are enforceable guidelines for professional conduct, and some are aspirational. Social workers should ensure that their representations to clients, agencies, and the public of professional qualifications, credentials, education, competence, affiliations, services provided, or results to be achieved are accurate. The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers. Reasonable differences of opinion can and do exist among social workers with respect to the ways in which values, ethical principles, and ethical standards should be rank ordered when they conflict. NASW has formal procedures to adjudicate ethics complaints filed against its members. 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