Code Of Ethics: The Social Work Profession

Improved Essays
Statement of Purpose
The social work profession concentrates on helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Its purpose is to help people develop their skills and their ability to use their own resources and those of the community to resolve problems. The mission of the social worker is based in a set of core values. These core values are the foundation for social worker’s unique perspective and purpose throughout their profession. The Code of Ethics has six purposes, each one of which the six core values are based off in the social work profession. The Code offers a set of principles, values, and standards in the guidance of decision making and conduct if any ethical concerns
…show more content…
Being a combat veteran myself I always put the needs of the veteran first to offer the best possible service available. Volunteering to me is a very important part of human services to others since it offers a chance to give back and make a meaningful contribution to individuals. It is a one of the main values of social work. One of the key reasons on the decision to take this path in earning my master’s degree in social work was the lack of services to most veterans. My own experience struggling with issues when “coming home” with no one to turn to or available to help me at the time changed my life. This experience was one of the many factors in choosing my second career path in life, and even though I was able to advocate for myself while struggling with many issues, it opened my eyes to realize the importance of improving others’ lives. Since than I have interacted over my ten years working at the vet center with more than eight thousand combat veterans returning home from active duty, Reserves, and National Guard deployments. The core value of social justice is an important key in social work that I use on a daily basis in my work with other veterans who are less fortunate or are unable to advocate for themselves. My everyday dealings with those in need shows no bias regardless of background or belief. I also have respect for differences between my own personal beliefs and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A human service professional play a significant part in the helping process in today’s culture by working with various specialists to help assist individuals, communities, and groups. Human service professional’s intentions are to help improve the quality of their client’s lives. All human professionals perform the same tasks in their profession by identifying the problem for the client’s needs, creating a plan to overcome obstacles, and putting the plan into action. While making these plans the human service professional should keep in consideration the code of ethics.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    When I think of the term ethical social work practice, it encompasses all the responsibilities’ of a social worker. These responsibilities include being respect, cultural sensitivity, competence, professional, flexible, and trustworthy just to name a few. Now, rating myself a seven seems realistic. First, as a military dependent, learning respect, flexibility, and culturally sensitivity helps to navigate the constantly changing settings. You have no choice, but to adapt and embrace transitions.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Veterans Pros And Cons

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Through the years when veterans return home they are either treated as heros or outcasts. These men and women often have trouble finding jobs and some even need some form of treatment. With the lack of veteran programs most of these people do not get the proper aid they need when they return. A large number of them have trouble finding jobs to pay for the medical attention they desperately need. Veterans are discriminated against by the lack of programs to support them.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homeless Veterans

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages

    More Assistance for Homeless Veterans Homelessness is an unfortunate occurrence that can affect some Americans, including non-veterans and veterans. A veteran "is a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable" (qtd. in Perl 2-3). In Jason Davis ' blog entry "The ‘Invisible Monster ': A Homeless Female Veteran 's Journey to Take Back Her Life from PTSD…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As you drive to work, walk to class, or bustle through busy streets, do you ever take the time to stop and look what is around you? Do you notice the older man that stands on the corner of the street wearing a blue and red cap, wrapped in a blanket because he has no winter coat? Perhaps you give a pity induced smile and pass by without noticing that his cap reads “Proud to be a U.S. Veteran”. Each day most Americans, including myself, fail to realize that nearly a quarter of our homeless citizens are U.S. veterans. Unfortunately, homelessness in our veterans has become a calamity nationwide; with high homeless, depression, and suicide rates, our heroes are not living the “American Dream” they fought for during their years of service.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Veterans do not have typical issues dealt with by most of the American public. It is imperative that the professionals helping them be trained in dealing with their specific needs. Training individuals to meet these needs is just the start, many states have inadequate funds for their VA hospitals leaving the hospitals staffed with too few professionally trained workers. Also existing is the problem of buildings being too small with insufficient room for patients and waiting lists that are unacceptable. It is apparent…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To serve your country means to put your life on the line for the lives of strangers, to come back stateside and find that those you protected look the other way when you are asking for help is shameful and unethical. Unfortunately, in America today there are about 49,933 homeless veteran, these are people who gave up part of their life for their country, people who are most likely suffering from PTSD or other mental disorder, and people who ultimately deserve better than the streets (“Fact Sheet: Veteran Homelessness”). Veterans who come home only to find themselves without one is a real issues in this country, as is that most veterans on the street are suffering from a mental illness or some kind of substance abuse, however, fortunately, there are places that are making improvements in the homeless veterans in their communities.…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Homeless Veterans With approximately one-fourth of the homeless population belonging to the veteran population (Burt, Aron, Douglas, Valente, Lee & Iwen, 1999), there is a need to determine how this specific group can be helped. By doing so, there is a possibility that homeless individuals from the general population can be helped as well. Cunningham (Aug 2009) emphasizes that working to eliminate homelessness in veterans may be part of the solution to ending homelessness in the United States. Being a large group, veterans take away resources from others which are homeless, who do not have the same support systems in place, through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).…

    • 1895 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals consists of six sections—(1) Responsibility to Clients, (2) Responsibility to the Public and Society, (3) Responsibility to Colleagues, (4) Responsibility to Employers, (5) Responsibility to the Profession, and (6) Responsibility to Self. These ethical standards provide the framework for the “codes and laws, workplace policies, cultural practices, credentialing boards, and personal beliefs”. These standards were adopted by the National Organization for Human Services in 2015 to provide guidance and rules to all members in human services. Responsibility to Clients is the first section and it consists of nine standards that are the ethical guidelines to the client-worker relationship. These…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The social work profession is to infuse change into the lives of individuals and into the community to reduce or eradicate the ill effects of personal distress and social inequality (Cox, Long, & Tice, 2016). Social workers are constantly working on brooding their horizons, by learning on the job or continuing education. Social work has seven values, some of which are grouped together, “dignity and worth of person, competence, importance of human relationships, integrity, human services, and social justice” (Code of Ethics, 2011). In the 2016 election Trump promised to deport all “illegals,” many to a country that they have never seen.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The National Association of Social Workers also known as the NASW was established in October in 1955. The NASW is an organization of social workers that developed and maintain professional standards of practice. The organization contains about 140,000 members and has the largest membership of professional social workers. The NASW protect their members and enhance their professional status by adopting the NASW Code of Ethics.…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    Critical Analysis Paper #1 Question #1: Social Work and Systems Theory Social Work as a concept and a career is simple, yet difficult to define. Social work has grown and developed from the seed that is envelops social issues in our society. As Robbins, Chatterjee, and Canda state in Contemporary Human Behavior Theory (2012), defined situations within society have dictated the need for social work and advocates to speak on behalf of those who are unable to speak for themselves. From the inception of its career, social work has been associated with helping those in need, whether that be at a micro-level with individual therapy and case management, or a macro level with policy development and large scale advocacy efforts.…

    • 2214 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the field of social work, we are faced with ethical dilemmas, more often than not. These dilemmas can come from conflicts with certain social work ethics and standards such as the right to self-determination, dual relationships, or confidentiality. A social worker can even face an ethical dilemma from a conflict of morals and values that they may have with their client. I will be examining an ethical dilemma that intersects both morals and values and confidentiality. Let’s say for example a social worker has an 18 year old client who is pregnant, still living with their parents and seeking an abortion.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Social Work Goals

    • 1448 Words
    • 6 Pages

    My personal understanding of the social work profession is quite vast. Social workers are making a difference in people 's lives by helping people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. The most important aspect for social workers in my opinion is to promote positive change. We help provide opportunities and resources for children, adults, elderly and families that weren’t there before. Social workers do what they can to assist individuals, but they also understand that the individual needs to be willing to make changes.…

    • 1448 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Understanding of the social work profession To many, the primary mission of the profession of social work is enhancing the needs of those that are considered vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. However, my understanding of the social work profession is helping someone to make positive changes in his or her life that result in a better quality of life. This is also true when promoting the wellbeing of the community in a social context.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays