Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior

Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision-making and how to apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas. Social workers recognize personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. They also understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers understand the profession’s history, its mission, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Social Workers also understand the role of other professions when engaged in inter-professional teams. Social workers recognize the importance of life-long learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure they are relevant and effective. Social workers also understand emerging forms of technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice.

Social workers:

• make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context;
• use reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice situations;
• demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
• use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
• use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior

Practicum Example

“Daily I will reflect on my experience and thoughts about my placement in my personal practicum journal.”

On the surface, this seems like a fairly simple learning activity, but keeping notes in my field journal has taught me how to be more aware of my own ethics and values and how they relate to the NASW Code of Ethics and my vision of myself as a social worker. I process things much better once I have written them down, so my journal allows me to record, process, and reflect on my practicum experience. I keep notes of the groups I run, interactions I have with clients, notes about how Pride Haven runs and what my opinion is, and what I learn from my supervisor. I go back at the end of every month and re-read my notes and further reflect.

Foundation Practice I/II Example

Similar to my field journal, being able to do a weekly practice journal in Foundations
Practice I was very helpful in asking me about things I may not have thought about on my own. It guided me to take into consideration topics I usually don’t, like things I struggle with in my work or macro-level social work. Having the freedom to interpret and answer the discussion questions without having to worry about getting it “right” or “wrong” provided me with a space to work through my own thoughts, opinions, and feelings about social work topics freely. I have found that after doing the practice journal last semester, I am more readily-able to reflect on things that come up at my practicum and my job and connect them to the Code of Ethics and what I’m being taught in my courses.