ABSTRACT
Earlier chapters have examined universal and relative ideas about values and ethics and then considered a pluralist response. Then, in Chapters 7 and 8 the implications of these ideas for social work and human services in thinking about religion and spirituality and about multicultural societies have been explored. In this chapter the discussion returns to the question of pluralism as an approach to values and ethics, with a specific focus on the implications for social work and human services practices and policies. Of particular concern here is how social work and human services may respond to the challenges of cultural diversity for shared professional values and ethics. After looking at questions of formal professional codes of ethics, with particular attention to the recognition of Indigenous and ethnic minority cultural values, the discussion returns to issues of power and authority that have been raised in earlier chapters. From this a pluralist approach to ethics is proposed as the effective way of engaging with cross-cultural practice.
