Nasw code of ethics pdf

Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated. Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. Social workers continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice. Social workers should aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession.

The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers. Some of the standards that follow are enforceable guidelines for professional conduct, and some are aspirational. The extent to which each standard is enforceable is a matter of professional judgment to be exercised by those responsible for reviewing alleged violations of ethical standards. 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 physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the client as a result of the contact such as cradling or caressing clients. Social workers who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern such physical contact.

Sexual harassment includes sexual advances, sexual solicitation, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Social workers should use accurate and respectful language in all communications to and about clients. When social workers act on behalf of clients who lack the capacity to make informed decisions, social workers should take reasonable steps to safeguard the interests and rights of those clients.

Social workers should make reasonable efforts to ensure continuity of services in the event that services are interrupted by factors such as unavailability, relocation, illness, disability, or death. Social workers should respect confidential information shared by colleagues in the course of their professional relationships and transactions. Social workers should not sexually harass supervisees, students, trainees, or colleagues. Social workers who have responsibility for evaluating the performance of others should fulfill such responsibility in a fair and considerate manner and on the basis of clearly stated criteria.

Social workers should establish and maintain billing practices that accurately reflect the nature and extent of services provided and that identify who provided the service in the practice setting.

Social work administrators and supervisors should take reasonable steps to provide or arrange for continuing education and staff development for all staff for whom they are responsible. Continuing education and staff development should address current knowledge and emerging developments related to social work practice and ethics.

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical disability. Social workers should not permit their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfill their professional responsibilities. Social workers should not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.

Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels, and the development of people, their communities, and their environments.

Social workers should advocate for living conditions conducive to the fulfillment of basic human needs and should promote social, economic, political, and cultural values and institutions that are compatible with the realization of social justice. Social workers should facilitate informed participation by the public in shaping social policies and institutions.

Social workers should provide appropriate professional services in public emergencies to the greatest extent possible. Code Of Ethics. The Code is designed to help social workers identify relevant considerations when professional obligations conflict or ethical uncertainties arise.

The Code provides ethical standards to which the general public can hold the social work profession accountable. The Code articulates standards that the social work profession itself can use to assess whether social workers have engaged in unethical conduct.

NASW has formal procedures to adjudicate ethics complaints filed against its members. Value: Dignity and Worth of the Person Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Value: Importance of Human Relationships Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.

Value: Integrity Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Value: Competence Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.

Ethical Standards The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers. Social workers should provide clients with an opportunity to ask questions. This may include providing clients with a detailed verbal explanation or arranging for a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible. Social workers who provide services via electronic media such as computer, telephone, radio, and television should inform recipients of the limitations and risks associated with such services.

Social workers should provide services in substantive areas or use intervention techniques or approaches that are new to them only after engaging in appropriate study, training, consultation, and supervision from people who are competent in those interventions or techniques. When generally recognized standards do not exist with respect to an emerging area of practice, social workers should exercise careful judgment and take responsible steps including appropriate education, research, training, consultation, and supervision to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients from harm.

Social workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability. Social workers should not take unfair advantage of any professional relationship or exploit others to further their personal, religious, political, or business interests.

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. In instances when dual or multiple relationships are unavoidable, social workers should take steps to protect clients and are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries.

Dual or multiple relationships occur when social workers relate to clients in more than one relationship, whether professional, social, or business. Dual or multiple relationships can occur simultaneously or consecutively. Social workers who anticipate a conflict of interest among the individuals receiving services or who anticipate having to perform in potentially conflicting roles for example, when a social worker is asked to testify in a child custody dispute or divorce proceedings involving clients should clarify their role with the parties involved and take appropriate action to minimize any conflict of interest.

Social workers should not solicit private information from clients unless it is essential to providing services or conducting social work evaluation or research. Once private information is shared, standards of confidentiality apply.

Social workers may disclose confidential information when appropriate with valid consent from a client or a person legally authorized to consent on behalf of a client. Social workers should protect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of professional service, except for compelling professional reasons.

The general expectation that social workers will keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or other identifiable person. In all instances, social workers should disclose the least amount of confidential information necessary to achieve the desired purpose; only information that is directly relevant to the purpose for which the disclosure is made should be revealed.

Social workers should inform clients, to the extent possible, about the disclosure of confidential information and the potential consequences, when feasible before the disclosure is made. This applies whether social workers disclose confidential information on the basis of a legal requirement or client consent. Social workers should review with clients circumstances where confidential information may be requested and where disclosure of confidential information may be legally required.

Social workers should inform participants in family, couples, or group counseling that social workers cannot guarantee that all participants will honor such agreements. Social workers should not discuss confidential information in any setting unless privacy can be ensured.

Social workers should not discuss confidential information in public or semipublic areas such as hallways, waiting rooms, elevators, and restaurants. Social workers should protect the confidentiality of clients during legal proceedings to the extent permitted by law.

Social workers should protect the confidentiality of clients when responding to requests from members of the media. Social workers should take precautions to ensure and maintain the confidentiality of information transmitted to other parties through the use of computers, electronic mail, facsimile machines, telephones and telephone answering machines, and other electronic or computer technology.

Disclosure of identifying information should be avoided whenever possible. Alleged violations of the Code would be subject to a peer review process. Such processes are generally separate from legal or administrative procedures and insulated from legal review or proceedings to allow the profession to counsel and discipline its own members. A code of ethics cannot guarantee ethical behavior. Moreover, a code of ethics cannot resolve all ethical issues or disputes or capture the richness and complexity involved in striving to make responsible choices within a moral community.

Rather, a code of ethics sets forth values, ethical principles, and ethical standards to which professionals aspire and by which their actions can be judged. Social workers' ethical behavior should result from their personal commitment to engage in ethical practice. 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. With growth in the use of communication technology in various aspects of social work practice, social workers need to be aware of the unique challenges that may arise in relation to the maintenance of confidentiality, informed consent, professional boundaries, professional competence, record keeping, and other ethical considerations.

In general, all ethical standards in this Code of Ethics are applicable to interactions, relationships, or communications, whether they occur in person or with the use of technology.

Technology-assisted social work services encompass all aspects of social work practice, including psychotherapy; individual, family, or group counseling; community organization; administration; advocacy; mediation; education; supervision; research; evaluation; and other social work services. Social workers should keep apprised of emerging technological developments that may be used in social work practice and how various ethical standards apply to them.

Professional self-care is paramount for competent and ethical social work practice. Professional demands, challenging workplace climates, and exposure to trauma warrant that social workers maintain personal and professional health, safety, and integrity. These principles set forth ideals to which all social workers should aspire. Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. Social workers draw on their knowledge, values, and skills to help people in need and to address social problems.

Social workers are encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return pro bono service. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.

These activities seek to promote sensitivity to and knowledge about oppression and cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services, and resources; equality of opportunity; and meaningful participation in decision making for all people. Ethical Principle: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social workers treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity.

Social workers are cognizant of their dual responsibility to clients and to the broader society. Ethical Principle: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.

Social workers understand that relationships between and among people are an important vehicle for change. Social workers engage people as partners in the helping process. Social workers seek to strengthen relationships among people in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, social groups, organizations, and communities.

Ethical Principle: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner. Social workers should take measures to care for themselves professionally and personally. Social workers act honestly and responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are affiliated.

Ethical Principle: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. Social workers continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and to apply them in practice.

Social workers should aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession. The following ethical standards are relevant to the professional activities of all social workers. 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.

Some of the standards that follow are enforceable guidelines for professional conduct, and some are aspirational. The extent to which each standard is enforceable is a matter of professional judgment to be exercised by those responsible for reviewing alleged violations of ethical standards. Social workers' primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients.

In general, clients' interests are primary. However, social workers' responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised. 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 respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients' right to self-determination when, in the social workers' professional judgment, clients' actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others. 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 provide clients with an opportunity to ask questions. This may include providing clients with a detailed verbal explanation or arranging for a qualified interpreter or translator whenever possible.

In such instances social workers should seek to ensure that the third party acts in a manner consistent with clients' wishes and interests. Social workers should take reasonable steps to enhance such clients' ability to give informed consent. If clients do not wish to use services provided through technology, social workers should help them identify alternate methods of service. Exceptions may arise when the search is for purposes of protecting the client or other people from serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm, or for other compelling professional reasons.

This includes an understanding of the special communication challenges when using technology and the ability to implement strategies to address these challenges. Social workers must take action against oppression, racism, discrimination, and inequities, and acknowledge personal privilege. Social workers should assess cultural, environmental, economic, mental or physical ability, linguistic, and other issues that may affect the delivery or use of these services.

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.

In some cases, protecting clients' interests may require termination of the professional relationship with proper referral of the client. In instances when dual or multiple relationships are unavoidable, social workers should take steps to protect clients and are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries. Dual or multiple relationships occur when social workers relate to clients in more than one relationship, whether professional, social, or business.

Dual or multiple relationships can occur simultaneously or consecutively. Social workers who anticipate a conflict of interest among the individuals receiving services or who anticipate having to perform in potentially conflicting roles for example, when a social worker is asked to testify in a child custody dispute or divorce proceedings involving clients should clarify their role with the parties involved and take appropriate action to minimize any conflict of interest. Social workers should be aware that involvement in electronic communication with groups based on race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical ability, religion, immigration status, and other personal affiliations may affect their ability to work effectively with particular clients.

Social workers should not solicit private information from or about clients except for compelling professional reasons. Once private information is shared, standards of confidentiality apply. The general expectation that social workers will keep information confidential does not apply when disclosure is necessary to prevent serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or others.

All social workers should review the new text and affirm their commitment to abide by the Code of Ethics. Also available in Spanish.

The NASW Code of Ethics offers a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision-making and everyday professional conduct of social workers.