ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews some of the research conducted into the values social workers hold, and examines some of the many complex problem situations which they have to face and within whose context they often have to act. The problem of the consistency of social work values are approached through the examination of one particular concept on which social workers seem to lay great stress, namely self-determination. The issue of implicit values are illustrated by considering the value of professionalism, which often seems to represent an objective for social workers, even though the values inherent in professionalism are often left implicit. A number of assumptions are often made in discussion of the values upheld (or realized by) social workers. One important aspect of social work activity that sometimes escapes critical discussion is the claim to professional status. The claim itself is often assumed: social work is a profession and therefore it has certain characteristics.
