Values and Ethics in Social Work

Chris Beckett studied Psychology at Bristol University and qualified as a social worker at Bangor, North Wales, in 1980, going on to work for eighteen years as a social worker and social work manager, and then for fifteen years as a social work lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and the University of East Anglia. He has had a parallel career for some time as a writer of fiction and is now a full-time writer. His novel, Dark Eden was the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award for 2012.Peter Jordan qualified as a social worker and worked with children and families in a variety of settings, including a Children’s Centre. He has been involved with teaching in Higher Education since 2006, first with the Open University and, since 2009, as a fulltime lecturer at the University of East Anglia. He has been involved in research about children’s views and experiences of the child protection process. His main research interests are in ethics in professional life and interprofessional working, but he is also interested in the ways that newly qualified workers manage their entry into the profession.Peter has a daughter and lives with her and her mum in Norwich.

Without hesitation, I have recommended previous editions of this text to undergraduate students on the social work course.  It is a highly readable and accessible text, focusing upon core concepts that should be intrinsic to every social work practitioner.  All authors are candid and reflect well on their professional experiences as well as giving a good overview on topics such as the development of values and power.  I also really valued the chapters examining philosophy and religious beliefs; the latter, in particular, is often missing from texts on values and ethics and yet remains core to many practitioners and those with whom they work.

• IntroductionPART I: FOUNDATIONS OF VALUES AND ETHICSWhat are Values and Ethics?Moral PhilosophyValues and ReligionValues and PoliticsRealism as an Ethical PrinciplePART II: VALUES AND ETHICS IN PRACTICEBeing ProfessionalUses and abuses of powerRisk and blameSelf-determination and privacyRespect or oppressionLimited resourcesDifference and diversity