![]()
1
A historical foundation to social work values and ethics
Stephen M. Marson and Robert E. McKinney, Jr.
One of the earliest recorded social work ethical dilemmas can be found in Acts of Apostles (Marson & MacLeod, 1996). Theologians who specialize in the study of Acts of Apostles have given label “social worker” to the protomartyr, Stephen. In modern social work terminology, Stephen would be called a case manager in his role as the first diakonate or social ministry. As a first recorded deacon (derived from the Greek word “to serve”), he was responsible for the distribution of resources to widows and orphans, but he insisted that these scarce resources be distributed equitably.
Systematic discrimination was the standard and fairness was contrary to the cultural norm. In the end, Stephen faced a trial for blasphemy and was subsequently stoned to death. His death may not have been intention of the court – that part is unclear; however, it is clear that his death was the result of his application of values and ethical principles as they related to the equitable distribution of resources. Allegations of blasphemy were used to cover the hidden agenda (suppress the minority group). Notwithstanding, the “legal” standards for blasphemy – for which Stephen was accused – were not met. If a social work code of ethics had existed during Stephen’s time, he would have been unambiguously exonerated. Nevertheless, the contempt for minority groups was so pervasive within this communal setting, Stephen might have been assassinated anyway, regardless of a positive court finding. Even without a social work code of ethics, Stephen was able to ascertain appropriate ethical conduct and was able to withstand the pressures of the political elite. However, he did this by sacrificing his life. Social work codes of ethics (of which there are many) have two primary functions.
First, they serve as guidance for professional behavior. In Stephen’s case, it was clear that the ethical road was to make sure that everyone received food and drink. The ethical course of action can be contaminated by governmental regulation, tradition, and cultural perimeters. Similar to the story of Acts of Apostles, in 2018 the President of the United States established a policy of separating infants from mothers among those who allegedly passed the border by illegal means. With all the unambiguous evidence of the long-term impact of mother-infant bonding, this separation was deemed ethically disturbing – even by those strongly supporting border security. US citizens who had no written code of ethics but immediately recognized the problematic nature of the policy. Many elected officials did not recognize the ethical problem. Rather, they focused on the goal of securing the border and ignoring all else. Codes of ethics facilitate clarity for ambiguous social circumstances. However, if a code of ethics is not read or ignored, it is useless.
Second, codes of ethics protect the social worker from the actions of others and more importantly codes protect social service recipients from unethical actions of social workers. In most countries, the judiciary recognizes a professional code of ethics as the standard which governs the activities of a social worker. If others are distressed about the activities of a social worker, the code of ethics becomes a catalyst for legal protection. Currently, the most frequently cited unethical behavior occurs when a social worker becomes involved in a dual relationship (Reamer, 2012). Even though social workers are trained to avoid intimate relationships with clients, an uncomfortable number fall into this trap. More disturbing is the fact that social work practitioners with 10 or more years of practice experience are those who are most likely to become initiate with clients (unpublished data from NASW). This is the best reason to require in-service training about ethics every year for ever practitioner.
There exists a third, but more mercenary, function of ethical codes. Part of the definition of a profession is ability to “self-organize” and regulate. Thus, to comply with the definition of “professional,” a code of ethics is a necessary condition. The existence of a social work code of ethics addresses one of the concerns in Abraham Flexner’s renowned speech entitled “Is Social Work a Profession?” Although written in 1915, Flexner’s work continues to vibrate influence in today’s work of social work practice and education on an international level. The speech remains available in book form today (Flexner, 1915) and continues to be read. If social work must be identified as a profession, a code of ethics is required. On October 13, 1960, the National Association of Social Workers in the United States formalized their first edition of a code of ethics. Later, in 1994, the International Federation of Social Workers formalized a code of ethics in 1994.
Throughout the world, many codes of ethics exist. They are very similar in nature, but also include elements that are founded in the cultural and judicial perimeters of the country of origin. We offer a sampling of a variety of ethical codes:
International Federation of Social Workers
http://ifsw.org/policies/statement-of-ethical-principles/
Australia
https://www.aasw.asn.au/practitioner-resources/code-of-ethics
Canada
https://casw-acts.ca/en/Code-of-Ethics
Denmark
http://www.world-psi.org/en/danish-association-social-workers-dasw
France
https://www.anas.fr/Le-code-de-deontologie_a735.html
Germany
https://www.dbsh.de/
India
https://ispsw.wordpress.com
Ireland
https://www.iasw.ie/resources.aspx?contentid=47
Israel
http://www.socialwork.org.il/
Italy
http://www.cnoas.it/La_professione/Codice_deontologico.html
Japan
http://www.japsw.or.jp/syokai/rinri/sw.html
Luxembourg
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/Luxembourg_code.pdf
Norway
https://www.fo.no/getfile.php/1320310/01 Om FO/Hefter og publikasjoner/Yrkesetisk grunnlagsdokument_2015.pdf
Portugal
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_80111-4.pdf
Russia
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/Russian_ethical.pdf
Singapore
https://www.sasw.org.sg/public/documents/SASWCodeofEthics2004.pdf
South Korea
http://cdn.ifsw.org/assets/ifsw_12405-10.pdf
Spain
https://www.cgtrabajosocial.es/consejo/codigo_deontologico
Sweden
http://www.semalia.se/att/Yrkesetik.pdf
Switzerland
https://www.ssi-suisse.org/en/our-values/101
Turkey
http://www.shudernegi.org.tr.tc
UK
https://www.basw.co.uk/codeofethics/
USA
https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
By the time this book is published, more codes from more countries will be endorsed and used.
Within this volume, top social work scholars across the globe provide analysis and insight into ethical issues that enlighten social work ethics and values for both education and practice. It is the goal of the editors and contributors of this volume that the information and insights that are provided can help social workers across a broad array of settings and in diverse cultural and legal settings make informed decisions about their own ethical practice. Although no code of ethics or book about ethics can provide hard and fast rules for every situation, we believe that the topics and themes covered here will provide guidance to help practitioners in our ever-shrinking world to make ethical decisions that are based on principle and that maintain the integrity of the profession and the professional.
Flexner, A. (1915). Is social work a profession? London: FB & C.
Marson, S. M., & MacLeod, E. (1996). The first social worker. The New Social Worker, 3(1), 11.
Reamer, R. (2012). Boundary issues and dual relationships in the human services. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
![]()
Section I
Ethics writ large
![]()
2
International analysis of human rights and social work ethics
Annie J. Keeney, Abdulaziz Albrithen, Shannon Harrison, Linda Briskman and David Androff
On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was officially adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. This was a landmark document that brought human rights into international law. The Declaration consists of a preamble and 30 articles that affirm fundamental rights and freedoms to all peoples and all nations. The field of human rights is defined by three domains of rights: (1) civil and political rights; (2) socioeconomic and cultural rights; and (3) natural world and the right to work (IFSW, European Region, 2010).
Human rights permeate the daily lives of people in every society. Its themes have been linked to political science, law, and social work, among many disciplines. Since its establishment, social work has highlighted human rights issues through humanitarian activities with individuals, groups, and communities, in both institutional and voluntary work (Albrithen & Androff, 2015). A central tenet of the social work profession is the defense of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, underserved, exploited, and susceptible to poverty and violence.
This central focus of the social work profession deeply aligns with what human rights pioneers assert as the purpose of the UDHR – the protection and safeguard of human dignity, without charges or convictions. The human rights ...
