ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the way that social work values shape professional ethics–specifically, ethical codes and their application to practice, the relationship between ethics and the law, and the ways social workers manage ethical conflicts and dilemmas. Subgroups of the social work profession, such as those working with specific populations, have developed their own ethical codes. These subgroups include: National Association for Black Social Workers; Clinical Social Work Federation; International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW); Canadian Association of Social Workers. The Code of Ethics is the official code of the social work profession in the United States. The chapter reviews the Code of Ethics, and discusses the Code as a tool of practice, and highlights the most IFSW code. As examples in the chapter shows, issues of context, risk taking and creativity, and diversity can also challenge ethical codes. It examines many of the moral rules and values that govern social work practice.
