PRINCIPLES of SOCIAL WORK

PRINCIPLES of SOCIAL WORK
1. Upholding the values and reputation of the

Principles Relative to Respect Human Rights profession. Social workers should act at all times in
1. Upholding and promoting human dignity and well- accordance with the values and principles of the
being. Social workers should respect, uphold, and profession and ensure that their behavior does not
defend each person’s physical, psychological, bring the profession into disrepute.
emotional, and spiritual integrity and well-being. 2. Being trustworthy. Social workers should work in a
2. Respecting the right to self-determination. Social way that is honest, reliable and open, clearly
workers should respect, promote, and support explaining their roles, interventions, and decisions,
people’s dignity and right to make their own and not seeking to deceive or manipulate people
choices and decisions, irrespective of their values who use their services, their colleagues, or
and life choices, provided that this does not employers.
threaten the rights, safety, and legitimate interest 3. Maintaining professional boundaries. Social
of others. workers should establish appropriate boundaries in
3. Promoting the right to participation. Social workers their relationships with service users and
should promote the full involvement and colleagues, and not abuse their position for
participation of people using their services in ways personal benefit, financial gain, or sexual
that enable them to be empowered in all aspects exploitation.
of decisions and actions affecting their lives. 4. Making considered professional judgments. Social
4. Creating each person as a whole. Social workers workers should make judgments based on
should be concerned with the whole person, balanced and considered reasoning, maintaining
within the family, community, societal, and natural awareness of the impact of their own values,
environments, and should seek to recognize all prejudices, and conflicts of interest on their
aspects of a person’s life. practice and on other people.
5. Identifying and developing strengths. Social 5. Being professionally accountable. Social workers
workers should focus on the strengths of all should be prepared to account for and justify their
individuals, groups, and communities, and thus judgments and actions to people who use services,
promote their employment. to employers and the general public.
Principles Relative to Social Justice CORE VALUES of SOCIAL WORK

1. Compassion – it is the basis for someone to go out
1. Challenging discrimination. Social workers have a and become the voice to the voiceless and a friend
responsibility to challenge discrimination on the to the people who need it the most.
basis of characteristics such as ability, age, culture, 2. Service – as a value, directs social workers to go
gender or sex, marital status, socio-economic beyond purely performing a service for a pay and
status, political opinions, skin color, racial or other allow them to be generous of their time.
physical characteristics, sexual orientation, or 3. Social justice – as a value for social workers, is a
spiritual beliefs. basis of their understanding of the need to ensure
2. Recognizing diversity. Social workers should that everyone get serviced and that everyone get a
recognize and respect the diversity of the society in share of what the community possesses in material
which they practice, taking into account individual, and non-material assets.
family, group, and community differences. 4. Dignity and worth of the person – is a value that
3. Distributing resources. Social workers should provides the determination and drive for social
ensure that resources at their disposal are workers to seek the marginalized in all forms
distributed fairly, according to need. without much regard as to whether such problem
4. Challenging unjust policies and practices. Social is self-inflicted or socially imposed.
workers have a duty to bring to the attention of 5. Importance of human relationships – as a value,
their employers, policymakers, politicians, and the makes it possible for social workers to do their job
general public the situations where resources are as most human situations they seek to address
inadequate or where distribution of resources, requires collaborating with so many other
policies, and practices are oppressive, unfair, professionals and individuals with a stake in the
harmful, or illegal. issue.
5. Working in solidarity. Social workers, individually, 6. Integrity – the quality of being honest and having
collectively, and with others have a duty to principles; moral uprightness.
challenge social conditions that contribute to social 7. Competence – the ability to do something
exclusion, stigmatization or subjugation, and work successfully or efficiently.
toward and inclusive society. - Is a very important value for social
work because it separates social
caregiving from social work
professional practice.
Principles Relative to Professional Integrity

PRINCIPLES of SOCIAL WORK

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PRINCIPLES of SOCIAL WORK

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PRINCIPLES of SOCIAL WORK

1. Upholding the values and reputation of the

Principles Relative to Social Justice CORE VALUES of SOCIAL WORK

Principles Relative to Professional Integrity

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