HUMSS-DIASS_Quarter 3-Lesson 2

PRINCIPLES AND CORE

VALUES OF SOCIAL
WORK
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After studying this lesson, you are
expected to:
1. identify the Principles of Social Work;
2. explain the Values of Social Work; and
3. express personal how social work
intervenes in a society crisis.
VOCABULARY LIST
PRINCIPLES
a fundamental truth or proposition
that serves as the foundation for a
system of belief or behavior or for a
chain of reasoning.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
is "neither communism, nor despotism, nor
atomism, nor anarchy," but the humanization of
laws and the equalization of social and economic
forces by the State so that justice in its rational
and objectively secular conception may at least be
approximated.
Social justice means the promotion of the welfare of all the
people, the adoption by the Government of measures
calculated to insure economic stability of all the competent
elements of society, through the maintenance of a proper
economic and social equilibrium in the interrelations of the
members of the community, constitutionally, through the
adoption of measures legally justifiable, or extra-
constitutionally, through the exercise of powers underlying
the existence of all governments on the time-honored
principle of salus populi est suprema lex.
Social justice, therefore, must be founded on the recognition of
the necessity of interdependence among divers and diverse units
of a society and of the protection that should be equally and
evenly extended to all groups as a combined force in our social
and economic life, consistent with the fundamental and
paramount objective of the state of promoting the health,
comfort, and quiet of all persons, and of bringing about "the
greatest good to the greatest number." (Calalang vs Wiiliams,
G.R. No. 47800. December 2, 1940)
UNANIMITY
the quality or state of being
unanimous
Any professional activity is guided by set of values.
The body of knowledge of social work has certain
core values, evolved over a period of professional
practice, that are common to all social work practice
situations, irrespective of the methods.
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1
/Unit-2.pdf)
CORE VALUES OF SOCIAL WORK
DEFINITION OF VALUES
Values are fundamental norms and preferred behavior
patterns, shared by members of a society or a subgroup
which aim at integrating and channeling the organized
activities of the members. A value specifies whether to
follow or not to follow a particular behavior.
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1/Unit-
2.pdf)
Mendoza (2002) cited that the
Council on Social Work Education
identified and described six (6) values
that are shared by the social work
profession.
THESE VALUES ARE OUTLINED BELOW:
1. Right to Self-Fulfillment- Each
person has the right to self-
fulfillment which is derived from
his/her inherent capacity and
thrust toward the goal;
2. Responsibility to Common
Good- Each person has the
responsibility as a member of the
society to seek ways of fulfillment
that contribute to common good;
3. Responsibility of the Society- The
society has the responsibility to
facilitate selffulfillment of the
individual and the right to enrichment
through the contribution of its
individual members.
4. Right to Satisfy Basic Needs- Each person
requires for the harmonious development of
his powers socially provided and socially
safeguarded opportunities for satisfying
his/her basic needs in the physical,
psychological, economic, cultural, aesthetic,
and spiritual realms.
5. Social Organizations required to
facilitate individual’s effort at self-
realization – The notion that individual
and society has the responsibility to provide
appropriate social resources, it is the right
of the individual to promote change in
social resources that do not serve his/her
need-meeting efforts.
6. Self-realization and contribution to
society- To permit both self-realization and
contribution to society by the individual,
social organization must make available
socially-provided devices for need-
satisfaction as wide in range, variety, and
quality as the general welfare allows.
These values according to the
Curriculum Study sponsored by the
Council on Social Work Education as
cited by Mendoza (2002) comprise a
minimum commitment from the social
worker and the following concepts are
implied in these values:
1. Concept of human potentials and
capacities- This is premised on the belief
that a person is inherently endowed with
potentials and capacities.
2. Concept of social responsibility- an
individual has the obligation to contribute
to the common good and society.
3. Concept of equal opportunities- This is
premised on the ideal of social justice, two
elements of which are fairness and equality.
.4. Concept of social provision- This is based
on the premise that there will always be
everywhere with unmet needs or problems
which are beyond their own capacity to
solve.
The National Association of Social Workers
(NASW) stated that the mission of the social
work profession is rooted in a set of core values.
These values include: service, social justice,
dignity and worth of the person, importance of
human relationships, integrity, and competence
(Morales and Sheafor, 1983). These core values
are reflected in the IFSW Code of Ethics’
Preamble:
“Social work originates from humanitarian ideals and
democratic philosophy and has universal application
to meet human needs arising from personal-societal
interactions and to develop human potential.
Professional social workers are dedicated to service for
the welfare and self-realization of human beings; to
the development of resources to meet individual,
group, national and international needs and
aspirations; and to the achievement of social justice
(IFSW as cited by Morales and Sheafor, 1983)
Social Work values focus on three general areas: values
about people, values about social work in relation to
society and values that inform professional behavior
(Dubois & Miley, 1999)
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1/Uni
t-2.pdf)
The First Value is the conviction in the Inherent
Worth, Integrity and Dignity of the Individual
(Friedlander, 1977). When a person fails to perform
of follow what is expected of him to do in a
prescribed manner, the person is considered not
worthy and not desirable person by the people in a
society. The person’s dignity is denied and viewed
as person with no integrity and inhumanely treated
by the society.
People are not interested about why the
person has not been constituting a good
performance on his social responsibilities
in a suitable and acceptable way.
This value reminds the social worker that every
client that comes (with a problem) to him is not
to be considered as a person having no value and
no virtue because he is in a disadvantageous
situation. For a social worker the client is as
worthy as any other person and the client is in
that situation because of many other factors
acting upon him.
 The conviction in the dignity, worth and
the integrity of any individual, enables the
social worker to deal with any type of
client with a positive frame of mind
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/12345678
9/17109/1/Unit-2.pdf).
The Second Value is Belief in
Democratic Functioning. It relies on the
democratic process while dealing with the
client system. This alludes that
promptness and firmness in deciding is
through unanimity and nothing is forcibly
imposed on the client.
The worker, the client and others, are
all actively participating in the process
of decision making. Similarly, and at the
same, the right of the client in having a
preference for the solution is given the
highest attainable point.
The Third Value is the Firm Belief in Equal
Opportunity for All, Limited only by the Individual’s
Capacities (Friedlander, 1977). This value conveys an
impression the need for social justice. Social work put
forth a determined effort against social injustices giving
out to the disadvantaged and defenseless members of
society. Regardless of caste, religion, race, economic
status and intelligence. Each person must have equal
access to the resources of our society.
The Fourth Value is Social Worker’s Social Responsibility
towards Himself, his family and his society (Friedlander,
1977). This value admonishes the social worker not to
neglect himself, his family and the society in which he is
living while in the performance of duty and obligation and
professional duties. If he unsuccessfully performs his
obligation and commitment towards himself and his family,
then he himself or his family may fail to carry out their
social functioning and may become omission of performance
and failures needing social work intervention.
The Fifth Value is to Transmit Knowledge and Skills to
Others (Sheafor & Morales, 1989). This value provides
instruction to the social worker to give the information
that he has, that would enable the client to take care of
himself, in case the client faces connate challenges and
problems in the future. This is to guarantee that the client
becomes independent on the social worker throughout his
life. Withal, it also proposes that sharing of information,
talent and skills among co-professionals goes a long way
and is hard act to follow in nurturing the capability of the
professional practice.
The Sixth Value is Separating Personal Feelings from
Professional Relationships (Sheafor & Morales, 1989).
This value reminds the social worker that he should not
allow personal feelings to intrude in a professional
relationship, as this may make him over concerned or
develop a biased prejudiced view about the client and
his problem situation
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1/U
nit-2.pdf).
The social worker may have endured the same
experiences and been in a resembling social
circumstances in his personal life. Further, it is
possible that the social worker might relate these
situations to the present client and may lose his
objectivity needed for social work intervention. As a
result, he must be vigilant about any of his personal
feelings are affecting thereby evoking strong
emotional response in his professional relationship.
The Seventh Value assumes High Standards of
Personal and Professional Conduct (Sheafor &
Morales, 1989). It accentuates that the conduct of
the social worker should be commendable and
exemplary at both personal and professional levels.
As a professional, he should follow the Code of
Ethics for Social Work Practitioners. The
achievement of any profession depends on the
virtuousness and character of the professionals
actively engaged in a specified career or way of
life.
 In social work practice situations, clients come
with a number of fears, indecision, skepticism and
distrust about everything around them. They have
to profess a number of confidential and emotional
information and ardent emotional information and
hope a lot of trust from the social worker.
Revealing the confidential information callously or
making fun of the client’s precarious situation and
plight or degradingly looking down upon client
does great damage and harm.
Albeit his personal behavior outside practice hours
should not only be satisfactory to people but should
also boost him respectability and worthy of respect.
The social worker is estimable member of society and
he should not gratify in any conduct or attitude
which is considered wrong or rejected by society.
Consequently, it is significant that a social worker be
a person of high integrity, morale and of high ethical
conduct.
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL WORK
Social Work is based on respect for the
inherent worth and dignity of all people and it
is cultivated by altruistic and democratic
principles. Friedlander (1958) and Biestek
(1957) as cited by Mendoza (2002) indicated
seven principles adhered by social workers
including the following:
Social Work is based on respect for the
inherent worth and dignity of all people
and it is cultivated by altruistic and
democratic principles. Friedlander (1958)
and Biestek (1957) as cited by Mendoza
(2002) indicated seven principles
adhered by social workers including the
following:
1. Acceptance - Respecting clients
under different circumstances -
Understanding the meaning and
causes of client’s behavior.
- Manifests warmth, interest and
concern about the client and her/his
situation.
- Recognizing the individual or
people’s strengths and potentials,
weaknesses, and limitations.
Sometimes, the personal experiences of
the worker may come in the way of
accepting the client. For example, a
worker who was abused by his alcoholic
father during his/her childhood may find
it difficult to accept an alcoholic client
who has come for help in restoring
his/her family relationships.
In this case, the social worker should not be
influenced by his childhood experience of being
abused by his alcoholic father whom he hated and
rejected or show hostility or indifference towards
the client. Mutual acceptance is the beginning of
the process of establishing a strong professional
relationship towards working out a solution to the
client’s social dysfunctioning
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/
1/Unit-2.pdf).
2. Client’s participation in problem-solving - Client is
expected to participate in the process.
- Gathers information in defining the nature of the
problem
- Participates in planning ways in resolving such
problems
- Identifying resources to solve
- Act through the help of different available resources.
3. Self-Determination - The idea
behind this principle is that the
clients-individuals, groups, or
communities) who are in need have
the right to determine their needs and
how they should be met.
Every individual has the right to assess what
is good for him and decide that ways and
means to realize it. It emphasizes that the
social worker should not impose decisions or
solutions on the client simply because the
client has come to him for help. No doubt,
the client has come to social worker because
he could not solve the problem by himself.
The social worker should support and guide the
client to develop insights into his social situation in
the correct perspective and encourage and involve
him to take decisions that are good and acceptable
to him. In this way, the client is helped not only to
realize his potentialities but also to fell independent
and like a person with worth and dignity.
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1
/Unit-2.pdf)
4. Individualization - Recognizing and
understanding the client’s own unique
characteristics and using different principles
and methods for each client. - No two clients
are exactly alike - Social interventions differ
for each client considering their unique
qualities and situations.
5. Confidentiality - Client should be accorded
with appropriate projection, within the limits
of the law, with no any harm that might result
from the information given to the social
worker - The client should be assured that
what he or she divulges will be kept in
confidence. - Moreover, confidentiality entails
privacy.
6. Worker self-awareness - Social worker is
conscious about her/his role in making use of
her/his professional relationship with the client in
a way that will enhance the client’s development
rather than his/her own. - The social worker
consciously examines her/his feelings, judgments,
biases and responses whether these are
professionally motivated.
7. Client-worker relationship - The
purpose of client-worker relationship is to
help the client in some area of his/her
social functioning in which, at the present
he or she is experiencing some difficulty,
and where the worker is in the position to
offer help.
The principle reminds the social worker that while dealing
with the client it is to be kept in mind that the worker is
not dealing with an inanimate object or inferior being.
(http://egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/17109/1/Unit-
2.pdf)
Each individual responds and reacts to the same stimuli in
a different manner and gets into or get out of different
challenges, problem and trouble situations in different
ways.
Thank You!
I hope you can get useful knowledge
from this presentation. Good luck!