Social Work Essay Example: Public Policy Models

The practice of social work can be complicated. It requires knowledge of human development and behavior: of social, economic, and cultural institutions; and of the interaction of each one of these factors. The social work profession not only offers this knowledge but also educates its members to be proactive advocates for client systems. The important lessons for aspiring social workers involve both theory and practice skills. Social workers often draw on ideas and theories that help guide their assessments and intervention decisions. These perspectives focus on the significance of strengths, resilience, social justice, and safe, sustainable communities.

Professional social workers often adopt practices theories that fit their perspectives in regard to human nature, especially to assess a client, a situation, and the results of efforts to make a change. Furthermore, most social workers committed to evidence-based practice, which is simply stated using a specific intervention for an issue, problem, or disorder based on the results of research. They base their methods on the results of studies because they are expected to be accountable to the client and third-party payers.

Social work values are reflected in the NASW Code of Ethics, which serves as a social and an ethical scope for social work persons. This code involves preamble, purpose, ethical standards, and ethical principles (Healy, 2014). The Code of Ethics serves six purposes:

Summarizing broad ethical standards

Identifying core social work values

Identifying professional obligations when conflicts arise

Defines immoral behaviour

Holds the social work profession accountable

Making ethical decision is a procedure. Sometimes, social workers make great efforts with complicated situations and the ethical guidelines assist in directing their actions. Furthermore, even though the Code of Ethics does not warrant ethical behaviours and an infringement of measures in this system does not routinely show law violation; these standards require ideals that every social worker needs to seek.

Policy practice is an important dimension of social work practice. The ethical responsibility for professional policy practice is stated in the NASW Code of Ethics under the part that states, Social Workers Ethical Responsibility for Broader Society. This section states that the responsibility of social workers should not only be for promoting the general welfare of society and advocate for the fulfillment of basic human needs, but also to engage in social acts for purposes of promoting social justice.

According to Colby, Dulmus, & Sowers, (2012), policy practices are considered the efforts of influencing social policy development, implementation, assessment, and enactment. Policy advocacy is defined as a form of policy practice focused on assisting populations that do not have the power to effect social change on their own. Nevertheless, NASW Code of Ethics cannot assure moral behavior and is unable to resolve every ethical problem or dispute. It cannot also capture the complexity as well as richness involved in making attempts at being responsible people in a moral society.

Instead, the NASW Code of ethics can set fort ethical principles, values, as well as ethical standards that professional social workers desire and through which the actions they take can be reviewed. The ethical behavior of social workers should result from their commitment to be part of ethical activities. The NASW Code of Ethics reveals the obligation of social workers to maintain values and acts that are considered professional and to proceed with ethical boundaries. Standards and principles should be utilized by people of good personality who distinguish ethical questions as well as loyalty, and also to reliably come up with, ethical decisions.

References

Colby, I. C., Dulmus, C. N., & Sowers, K. M. (2012). Social work and social policy: Advancing the principles of economic and social justice. John Wiley & Sons.

Healy, K. (2014). Social work theories in context: Creating frameworks for practice. Palgrave Macmillan.