National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics

About the Course:

Professional ethics are at the core of social work. The profession has an obligation to articulate its basic values, ethical principles, and ethical standards. The NASW Code of Ethics (revised in 1999) sets forth these values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ conduct. The Code is relevant to all social workers and social work students, regardless of their professional functions, the settings in which they work, or the populations they serve.

The NASW Code of Ethics serves six purposes:

• The Code identifies core values on which social work’s mission is based.
• The Code summarizes broad ethical principles that reflect the profession’s core values and establishes a set of specific ethical standards that should be used to guide social work practice.
• 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 socializes practitioners new to the field to social work’s mission, values, ethical principles, and ethical standards.
• 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.

This course is based on the reading-based online article, National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics created by National Association of Social Workers

Journal/Publisher:

National Association of Social Workers

Publication Date:

1999 revision

Course Material Author

Course Creator

Recommended For:

This course is recommended for health care professionals, especially social workers, but also including psychologists, counselors, and nurses who seek knowledge about the ethical practice of social work. It is appropriate for all levels of participants’ knowledge.

Course Objectives:

1. Apply the NASW Code of Ethics to the practice of social work.

2. Identify the values underlying the NASW Code of Ethics.

3. Identify other sources of information, in addition to the NASW Code of Ethics, which social workers should consult when making difficult ethical decisions.