According to Hepworth and Larsen (2009), there are five cardinal values of social work which are: service, social justice, the dignity and worth of the person, the importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. My personal and professional values are congruent with the cardinal values of the social work profession. One of the values is service.
Social workers' primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems (NASW, 1999).Service is very important to me because I strive to be respectful and provide help to address my client needs. This is the major reason I became a social worker is to help service others from oppression. Also, another of my values is social justice. Social workers challenge social injustice (NASW, 1999). This value shows my self-determination to promote social change and social
...justice for my clients and the social work field.
As, a behavioral health worker I enjoy advocating specialized services and providing resource information for my clients. I try to help my clients receive the services that should be provided for them. Also, I would advocate on their behalf if the behavioral health team would not approve certain services. This value is important to me because I have a passion for helping other people. I am dedicated in pursuing my master's degree in social work because I want to make a difference in people lives.
Now, as an intern I am able to motivate youth by helping them pursue educational goals and provide free resources such as: sexual education information, parenting skills and housing. Another example of my self-determination was as a volunteer in an after school program in which I was th
lead group facilitator . I helped students with recreational activities, provided self-esteem classes and tutoring sessions.I saw this as a small contribution to help students in low-income communities. Also, it is important for them to be around positive role models. This experience was fulfilling to me because I was able to help students with their educational goals and building positive self-esteem images .
Another important personal value that is related to social work and the NASW Code of Ethics is integrity. Integrity is when Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner(NASW, 1999).Integrity is important because as a social worker this value will help me establish a positive rapport with my clients. This will help the client feel more comfortable in discussing their situation which would be helpful towards their assessment. As, a social worker integrity is very important because it is having respect and honesty that can be reflected in your personal and professional relationships. As, social workers one of our values is to provide the least harm, social justice for all individuals, and the disadvantaged in society.
Social workers need to maintain the level of integrity when dealing with ethical dilemmas and challenging client situations that may occur. We need to understand that clients have different value and belief systems that may differ than our own as social workers. But, we must be willing to understand and respect our client's differences.Another cardinal value of social work is the dignity and worth of a person.
Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person (NASW, 1999). This value is important to me because we should respect each client and treat everyone equally no matter
gender, race, age, disability and etc....As, a social worker I must understand and learn various cultures that I will be working with from clients and staff members.
Also, I must have an open mind to accept clients and not provide criticism or judgment.Basically, I should not frown upon my clients because they are here for help which is the first step. By establishing human relationships is a value that is very important in the social work field. Social workers need human relationships because it helps us to promote change in families, individuals, communities, groups and organizations. The cardinal value of importance of human relationships.
Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships (NASW,1999). Healthy human relationships help people to develop a high quality of life which could decrease some of the problems that occur with our clients. In my internship I am able to network with other organizations when I my need a referral or informational resources. This particular networking helps me as a social worker to engage with other people in order to service our clients.
Competence is another important personal value that is congruent to the social work field. Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise (NASW, 1999). At my internship I strive to gain knowledge and experience from staff members and my clients. Competence will help me to provide appropriate resources for my clients by using careful judgment and making responsible choices to acquire resources for the clients. Social workers should always develop and enhance their learning skills within the field of social work.The way I deal with personal values that may conflict with the
social work values is by applying the values of: service, self-determination, competence, human relationships and integrity.
I would use these values as a guide that will help me to avoid any conflict to my client or staff member. If I follow the cardinal rules as a preventive measure I should be able to deal with conflict if it occurred.As, a social worker I should be aware of the impact on ethical decision making of clients and my personal values should not impeded on my clients value systems, culture and religious beliefs. For example, if I have a client that is trying to physically harm me as a social worker.
I would inform my supervisor and suggest that another social worker should handle the case. It is important for social workers to take the time to further analyze my personal values and keeps in mind that my goal is to empower and engage my clients.
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