Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The Code of Ethics - Core Values

Exam item writers live in the same world that you do and read the same headlines. Don't be too surprised to see items in future versions of the LCSW exam that pull from the conflicts that occupy your news and social media feeds today. One simple way to stay grounded in social work ethics as you approach these questions is to remember the six core values spelled out in the NASW Code of Ethics:

  • service
  • social justice
  • dignity and worth of the person
  • importance of human relationships
  • integrity
  • competence
They're right at the top of the Code of Ethics. Give the descriptions a careful read! http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/Code/code.asp They're not easy principles to live and work (and answer vignette questions) by...but definitely worth the effort. Good luck!

Wednesday, November 02, 2016

The Code of Ethics - Self-Determination

There's just no way to successfully make your way through the social work licensing exam without having a good working knowledge of the NASW Code of Ethics. This has been stressed on this blog before, but it bears repeating. Social work is too vast a subject to be covered in every respect by the exam. But this area--social work ethics and how to put them to use--is guaranteed to show up on the exam. With that in mind, let's take a look at an especially exam-friendly section of the code:

1.02 Self-Determination
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.

For exam item writers, this may be a particularly alluring paragraph. Social workers are usually by nature caretakers, givers, helpers. But when is helping unhelpful or just plain unethical? Don't be surprised to find questions about close-call situations that put your caregiving instincts at odds with the principle of self-determination. A client chooses to live on the street...chooses addiction over recovery...chooses anything that may not ultimately be in their self-interest. Remember this part of the code and you'll know how to answer.

For further reading try this article from Social Work Today: