Salisbury University Professionalism in Social Work PPT

For this assignment, you will be informing the class on one of the remaining sections of the Code of Ethics – Professionalism (Section 4),

4.01 Competence      

(a) Social workers should accept responsibility or employment only on the basis of existing competence or the intention to acquire the necessary competence.

(b) Social workers should strive to become and remain proficient in professional practice and the performance of professional functions. Social workers should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work. Social workers should routinely review the professional literature and participate in continuing education relevant to social work practice and social work ethics.

(c) Social workers should base practice on recognized knowledge, including empirically based knowledge, relevant to social work and social work ethics.

4.02 Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone, facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, or mental or physical ability.

4.03 Private Conduct

Social workers should not permit their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfill their professional responsibilities.

4.04 Dishonesty, Fraud, and Deception

Social workers should not participate in, condone, or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.

4.05 Impairment

(a) Social workers should not allow their own personal problems, psychosocial distress, legal problems, substance abuse, or mental health difficulties to interfere with their professional judgment and performance or to jeopardize the best interests of people for whom they have a professional responsibility.

(b) Social workers whose personal problems, psychosocial distress, legal problems, substance abuse, or mental health difficulties interfere with their professional judgment and performance should immediately seek consultation and take appropriate remedial action by seeking professional help, making adjustments in workload, terminating practice, or taking any other steps necessary to protect clients and others.

4.06 Misrepresentation

(a) Social workers should make clear distinctions between statements made and actions engaged in as a private individual and as a representative of the social work profession, a professional social work organization, or the social worker’s employing agency.

(b) Social workers who speak on behalf of professional social work organizations should accurately represent the official and authorized positions of these organizations.

(c) Social workers should ensure that their representations to clients, agencies, and the public of professional qualifications, credentials, education, competence, affiliations, services provided, or results to be achieved are accurate. Social workers should claim only those relevant professional credentials they actually possess and take steps to correct any inaccuracies or misrepresentations of their credentials by others.

4.07 Solicitations

(a) Social workers should not engage in uninvited solicitation of potential clients who, because of their circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence, manipulation, or coercion. (b) Social workers should not engage in solicitation of testimonial endorsements (including solicitation of consent to use a client’s prior statement as a testimonial endorsement) from current clients or from other people who, because of their particular circumstances, are vulnerable to undue influence.

4.08 Acknowledging Credit

(a) Social workers should take responsibility and credit, including authorship credit, only for work they have actually performed and to which they have contributed. (b) Social workers should honestly acknowledge the work of and the contributions made by others.

You will do this by creating a handout that is a combination of an Professional Newsletter/Policy Brief. You will create this document by reviewing the required points listed below. Think of this assignment as an informational summary to make people aware of how social workers are involved in these areas (Professionalism, and why their involvement is important. Making it look colorful and eye catching, and using examples will add to the overall interest of the topic!

Provide an overview of the section of the Code of Ethics you signed up for (Please do not just copy and paste directly from the Code of Ethics.)

Provide data about the involvement of social workers in the area you signed up for  – this can be the number of social workers in the area or number of social work organizations addressing the issue – whatever makes sense to you that helps paint the picture of social work involvement in the selected area

• Provide at least two real examples of how ethics is addressed in this area – this should come from the news or journals (These should not be made up! They should be based off of real examples you find in news, online, or research articles)
• Be sure to provide some information on specifics of how ethics is addressed in the area – do not just say that they are; for instance, who is involved, what are they doing, what happened, where are they doing it? What organizations are helping? (Be sure to provide links to societies, associations, foundations, etc. This is outlined in the rubric)
• It is OK if you have one example of unethical behavior and one of ethical behavior.

Present two ways that social work education can better prepare students for ethical engagement in area you selected. Be specific.

• Present two ways that agencies (regardless of focus) can encourage ethical engagement in the area you selected. Be specific.