Professional Values & Ethics

The NASW Code of Ethics (National Association of Social Workers). It sets forth the profession's core values, ethical principles, and ethical standards to guide social workers' conduct.

Service; social justice; dignity and worth of the person; importance of human relationships; integrity; and competence. Each core value has an associated ethical principle.

Social workers' primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems. Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest and are encouraged to volunteer some professional skills with no expectation of significant financial return (pro bono).

Social workers challenge social injustice. They pursue social change on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups, focusing on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of injustice.

Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person, treating each individual in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences and cultural diversity, and promoting clients' socially responsible self-determination.