The ethical practice principles apply across the UK, but they are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive. There will be variations in interpretation and guidance in the different countries.
Social workers should ensure their practice reflects appropriate codes of practice, legislation, governance frameworks, professional practice and training and regulatory standards in each UK country, provided they are consistent with the Code of Ethics. The Code is also supported by other BASW policy documents.
Social workers should strive to carry out the stated aims of their employers or commissioners, provided they are consistent with the Code of Ethics.
The following guidance is intended to illustrate how social workers can follow the ethical values and principles in section 2, whilst acting with integrity and treating people with compassion, empathy and care.
1 Developing professional relationships
Social workers should build and sustain professional relationships based on people’s right to control their own lives and make their own choices and decisions. Social work relationships should be based on people’s rights to respect, privacy, reliability and confidentiality.
Social workers should communicate effectively and work in partnership with individuals, families, groups, communities, and with public bodies and other agencies. They should value and respect the contribution of colleagues from other disciplines whilst being prepared to offer constructive challenge when necessary.
2 Assessing and managing risk
Social workers should recognise that people using social work services have the right to take risks and should enable them to identify and manage potential and actual risk, while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people.
Social workers should support people to reach informed decisions about their lives and promote their autonomy and independence, provided this does not conflict with their safety or with the rights of others. Social workers should only take actions that interfere with peoples’ civil or legal rights if it is ethically, professionally and legally justifiable.
3 Acting with the informed consent of service users, unless required by law to protect that person or another from risk of serious harm
Social workers should ascertain and respect each individual’s mental capacity to make his or her own decisions, according to the relevant legal framework.
When working with individuals who lack the capacity to make certain decisions, social workers should draw on the relevant legal frame- works to respect the individual’s preferences and wishes and ensure that they are appropriately involved when decisions are made on their behalf. This includes the duty to ascertain and respect a child’s wishes and feelings, giving due weight to the child’s maturity and understanding, where the law invests power of consent in respect of a child in the parent or guardian.
Social workers need to acknowledge the impact of their own informal and coercive power and that of the organisations involved.
4 Providing information to people affected by social work decisions
Social workers should ensure people have the information they need to make informed choices and decisions. They should enable people to access all information recorded about themselves, subject to any limitations imposed by law. Social workers should assist people to understand and exercise their rights, including making complaints and seeking other remedies.
5 Sharing information appropriately
Social workers should make decisions about sharing information legally and ethically. They should ensure that they protect privacy and confidentiality across agencies and professions but also that they share information professionally where it is necessary and required by law.
Social workers need to explain the nature of that confidentiality to people with whom they work and any circumstances where confidentiality must be waived should be made explicit. Social workers should identify dilemmas about confidentiality and seek support to address these issues.
Social workers should recognise that the use of digital technology and social media may impact on ethical practice, including privacy, confidentiality and conflicts of interest. Social workers need to take steps to ensure they have the appropriate knowledge of technology to protect themselves and the people they are working with.
6 Using authority in accordance with human rights principles
Social workers should use the authority of their role in a responsible, accountable and respectful manner. They should exercise authority appropriately to safeguard and protect people with whom they work and to ensure people have as much control over their lives as is consistent with their own rights and the rights of others.
7 Empowering people
Social workers should promote and contribute to the development of co-produced policies, procedures and practices that are anti- oppressive and empowering. They should seek to understand people’s beliefs, values, culture, goals, needs, preferences, relationships and affiliations but be prepared to offer respectful challenge when necessary.
Social workers should recognise their own prejudices, ensuring that they do not oppress any person or group. They should ensure that services are offered and delivered in ways that are appropriate for the people who will use them.
8 Challenging the abuse of human rights
Social workers should be prepared to challenge oppressive, ineffective and unjust policies, procedures and practice. They should challenge the abuse of power and the exclusion of people from decisions that affect them.
Social workers should strive to protect human rights and ensure their skills are not used for inhumane purposes. They should challenge and seek to address any actions of colleagues who demonstrate oppressive practice or prejudice.
9 Being prepared to whistleblow
Social workers must report situations where they have significant unresolved ethical dilemmas, using all available channels including complaints procedures. If necessary social workers should be prepared to use public interest disclosure legislation and whistleblowing guidelines.
10 Maintaining clear and accurate records
Social workers should maintain impartial and accurate records and clear evidence to support professional judgements. They should record only relevant matters, specify the source of information, distinguish between fact and opinion, and be prepared to be accountable for their record keeping.
11 Striving for objectivity and self-awareness in professional practice
Social workers should reflect and critically evaluate their practice and be aware of their impact on others. Social workers should recognise the limits of their practice and seek advice or refer to another professional in supervision to ensure they work in a safe and effective manner.
12 Using professional supervision and peer support to reflect on and improve practice
Social workers should take responsibility for seeking access to professional supervision and discussion which will support them to reflect and make sound professional judgements based on good practice. BASW expects all employers to provide appropriate professional supervision for social workers and promote effective teamwork and communication.
13 Taking responsibility for their own practice and continuing professional development
Social workers should develop and maintain their continuing professional development (CPD)
14 Contributing to the continuous improvement of professional practice
Social workers should strive to create conditions in employing agencies, in communities of practice and professional forums where the principles of the Code are discussed, evaluated and upheld in practice. They should engage in ethical debate with their colleagues and employers to share knowledge and take collegiate responsibility for making ethically informed decisions. They should actively endeavour and participate in seeking improvements to services or working conditions as guided by the ethics of the profession.
15 Taking responsibility for the professional development of others
Social workers should contribute to the education and training of colleagues and students by sharing knowledge and practice wisdom. They should identify, develop, use and disseminate knowledge, theory and practice. They should contribute to social work education, including the provision of good quality placements for qualifying and post-qualifying education and ensure all social workers in their pre/post qualification studies are informed of their ethical responsibility to use the Code in their practice.
16 Facilitating and contributing to evaluation and research
Social workers should use professional knowledge and experience to engage in research and to contribute to the development of ethically based policy and services. They should find ways to enquire in their own work and explore ways of analysing and evaluating the quality, outcomes and impact of their practice with people who use social work services.
