ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORKERS IN TURKEY ETHICHAL PRINCIPLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL WORKERS ETHICHAL PRINCIPLES

Social workers function for professional manner of conduct, decision and behaviors aiming human development according to the basic principles mentioned below:

1. Every human being has a unique value and this value makes him/ her get appreciation and respect.
2. Every human being has right to self-fulfillment to the extent that it does not encroach same rights of others and   has responsibility to contribute to the well being of the society.
3. Every society regardless of its form, should function for the maximum benefit of its members and provide necessary conditions and opportunities in order to help them for their self-development.
4. Social Workers should respect the basic human rights of individuals and groups as expressed in the United Nation Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other related instruments derived from that Declaration.
5. Social workers should provide, the best possible service to their clients who seeks help and advice regardless of their sex, age, disability, color, race, social statue, language, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs.
6.  Social workers should struggle against social inequality in job manner of conduct, decision-making and behavior. For this reason:
7.  
   • They pursue social change particularly with and on behalf of   vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people.
   • These efforts are primarily focused on issues of social injustices like poverty, unemployment, and discrimination.
   • Social workers aim increasing level of awareness and sensitiveness related to social problems and work for pursuing effective participation into decision-making processes.
8. Social workers have responsibilities of being objective, improving their professional knowledge and skills, and being competent in the fields that they practice.
9. Social workers respect the principles of confidentiality and personal privacy and responsible use of information their professional work. Social workers respect justified confidentiality even when country’s legislation is in conflict with this demand.
10. Social workers should work in collaboration with their clients, to support them for participation for maximum level. They inform clients of the risks and likely benefits of proposed courses of action.  They work for the best interest of their clients but also pay due regards to the interests of involved others.
11. Social workers expect clients to take responsibility for determining courses of actions, affecting their life. Compulsion which might be necessary to solve one party’s problems at the expense of the interests of others involved should only take place after careful explicit of the claims of the conflicting parties.  In the case of legal restrictions both sides should treated equally if one side’s benefits are against the other. Social workers should minimize the use of legal compulsion.
12. Social workers should not support directly or indirectly of a person or a group, political forces or power structures that suppress other fellow human beings by employing terrorism, torture or other similar brutal means.
13. Social workers accept The Ethical Principles and Responsibilities, which prepared by The Association of Social Workers, and decide on basis of ethically.

ETHICHAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF SOCIAL WORKERS

1.                  SOCIAL WORKERS’ ETHICHAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO CLIENTS

1.01.  Commitment to Clients

a.       Social workers’ primary responsibility is, without underestimating social responsibilities, to promote well-being of clients based on their needs.  In case of a conflict of between responsibilities of social workers’ related to society and client, social worker should provide alternative solutions to the client.

b.      Social workers accept the individual differences, aims and responsibilities of their clients. They should provide support with equally.

1.02. Cultural Competency and Social Diversity

      Social workers:

a.       Should understand culture and its effect on human behavior and function in society, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures.

b.      Have an opinion on the culture of clients; accept cultural differences and be sensitive towards them. They should be able to demonstrate competence providing culturally sensitive services.

c.       Obtain education about and seek to understand nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, age, marital status, political view, religious belief, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability.

1.03.    Self- Determination

            Social Workers:

a.        Should respect and promote the right of client’s self-determination.

b.        Without interfering to other’s rights, support should be given to the client in order to achieve self- realization and to reach maximum of his/ her potential.

c.        Should help client to solve problems from other areas of their lives. Therefore clients should be informed about not only services of the agency which social worker works but also social security and other services, which they deserve as a human being.

1.04     Privacy and Confidentiality:

Social Workers:

a.       Trust to client, and confidentiality and protection of private life should be kept in mind in order to use client-based information with a great responsibility and to work cooperatively with the client.

b.      No private information should be asked for unless it’s major need. Confidentiality principle should be followed after getting private information from client.

c.       Private information should be provided only if in the case of client’s consent or approval of legal representative of client.

d.      Information obtained in the course of professional service should be kept confidential. Generally, client based personal information if they are not harmful in short, mid or long term or legally without client, approval, should be kept secret. In all situations these information should be used necessary amount in order to reach a goal. Giving direct info should be kept restricted.

e.       If client based confidential information should be shared with other people, possible risks and consequences of this action should be mentioned to the client. If information shared for legal reasons, client’s consent should be taken before hand.

f.        Restriction levels should be discussed with client or other related individuals. Client should be informed about legal necessities; this conversation should be performed in the initiation of the social worker- client cooperation procedure and reassessed if any chance happens.

g.       In the case of individual, group or family counseling, clients should be informed about confidentiality principle. Social workers should inform participants in family, couples, or group counseling that social workers cannot guarantee that all participants’ will honor this principle.

h.       Social workers should inform clients involved in participants in family, couples, or group counseling of the social worker’s, employer’s, and agency’s policy concerning the disclosure of confidential information in which situations and how.

i.         Private information shouldn’t be shared with third parties without informed consent of client.

j.        Without being sure about security any information should be shared in any medium. Social workers should not discuss confidential information in public or semipublic areas such as hallways, waiting rooms, elevator and restaurants.

k.      During legal procedures, client’s confidentiality should be protected if the information needed to be shared in the court and if the authorized people force for sharing information that can be harmful to client, social worker should ask from the inquiry.

l.         Should protect the confidentiality of clients when responding to requests from members of the media.

m.     Should protect the confidentiality of written and electronic records and sensitive information.  The records should be kept in secure places and ensure that are not available to others who are not authorized to have access.

n.       Should ensure the confidentiality principle work continuously in all media modes like electronic post, fax, telephone, etc. Third persons should be kept away from private personal date. Identity information shouldn’t be shared.

o.      Should protect client confidentiality in the event of the social workers termination of practice, incapacitation, or death.

p.      During discussion of the client’s situation for educational purposes, unless client’s informed consent, social worker should not give information about client’s identity. Getting identity related information should be avoided its urgently in need.

q.      If the client passed away records related to client should protect consistent with the preceding standards.

1.05.    Informed Consent

            Social Workers:

a.       Within professional area limits clients should be informed about his/her service’s aim, risks, limits, choices, approval or disapproval rights and the time period. Client has the right to ask questions.

b.      If the client has a difficulty in understanding spoken language, social worker should provide detailed explanations or help to get a professional interpreter.

c.       If the client doesn’t have a capacity to informed consent, social worker may ask for an approval from a third person or inform client by using an appropriate cognitive level explanations. Social workers should protect their client’s rights and manipulate third person for the benefit of clients.

d.      In instances when clients are receiving services involuntarily, social workers should provide information about the nature and extent of client’s right to refuse service.

e.       If professional help is given via computer, Internet, telephone, fax, radio or television possible limitations should be explained.

f.        Should obtain informed consent of clients’ informed consent before audiotaping and videotaping clients or permitting observation of services to clients by a third party.

1.06.    Access to Records

Social Workers:

a.       Should ensure that client’s access to his/her records within reasonable limits to inhibit misunderstandings social workers should inform clients the meaning of recorded data. If record has the potential to give intolerable harm to the client then records should be kept in groups. After this manipulation client can reach only safe of the recording.

b.      When providing clients with access to their records, social workers should take steps to protect the confidentiality of other individuals identified or discussed in such records.

1.07.             Interruption of Services

Social workers should take precautions in order to ensure continuity of services in case of their absence because of health problems, shifting job or death.

1.08.             Termination of Services

Social workers:

a.       Should terminate the services to clients and professional relationships with them when such services and relationships no linger required or no longer serve the clients’ needs or interests.

b.       Should inform the clients and assist in making appropriate arrangements for referral and transfer alternatives according to clients’ needs and choices in order to ensure continuity of services when necessary.

c.       Should inform the client and ensure the continuity of services appropriate alternatives and possible risks and benefits in case of leaving employment settings.

1.09.              Conflicts of Interest

Social Workers:

a.       Should be alert of the conflicts of interest that may inhibit assessment without taking sides and should overcome it. In the case of such a situation social workers should inform his/her client and solve the conflict. In the existence of such a situation can be inhibited by transferring client.

b.      Should not take unfair advantage or any professional relationships and use clients for personal, religious, political or private purposes.

c.       Should not engage dual or multiple relationships with current of former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or harm to the client. (Dual or multiple relationships occur when social workers relate to clients in more than one relationship. Whether professional, social, or business. It can be simultaneously of consecutively)

d.      If inter- related relations are in concern like in the case of couples, client and the other individual should be informed about their situations. And information should be given related to the professional service procedures. In the case of guardianship in order to inhibit conflicts, information should be provided according to each party’s role.

1.10.        Payments for Services

a.           Accepting money presents or make good use of client’s productions or service free extremely prohibited for the social workers that are working for government or working in a salaried jobs. Should be stayed out from relations that may affect social worker - client cooperation.

b.          Before providing private professional practice payments should be arranged fairly and income of clients should be considered before evaluating fee of service.

1.11.             Emotional/ Sexual Relationship

Social workers should under no circumstances engage in emotional or sexual relationships with current or past clients.

1.12.    Physical Contact

Social workers should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the client as a result of the contact (like hugging).

Social workers who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients are responsible for setting clear, appropriate and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern such physical contact.

1.13.    Sexual Harassment

Social workers should not sexually harass clients with verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

1.14.             Derogatory Language

Social workers should not use derogatory language in their in written or verbal communications; should use accurate and respectful language in all communications to and about clients.

2.         ETHIC RESPONSIBILITIES TO COLLEAGUES AND OTHER PROFESSIONALS

2.01.    Respect

Social workers:

a.       Should show respect to their colleagues or other professionals for their qualifications, point of views and obligations.

b.      In their relations with their clients and colleagues, they should avoid unwarranted negative criticism. They should not use demeaning comments that refer to colleagues’ professional level of competence or to individuals’ attributes such as race, ethic- national origin, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital situation, political choice; religious belief, mental or physical disabilities.

c.       For the benefit of clients social workers should work in collaboration with other social workers and other professionals.

2.02.            Confidentiality

Social workers should obey keeping information confidential, gathered from other professionals, according to the privacy rules. If secret information has to be shared than social worker should be sure about giving adequate information to other professionals related with the confidentiality principle.

2.03.    Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Social workers:

a.       Within and among professional collaboration for an efficient service, every member should be made to put forward his/her responsibilities.

b.      Other group members’ education and work should be perceived respectfully.

c.       In the interdisciplinary collaboration, client related decisions should be given according to the social work profession’s approach, his/ her values and experiences.

d.      If group members have worries about generation of ethic problems than this conflict should be solved with an agreement. If conflicts cannot be resolved than suitable channels should be used to imply worries about client’s negative condition.

e.       Diversity in thinking strategies among different professionals should be taken up respectfully.

f.        Co-learning should be supported, within different professionals, by creating suitable environment. Additionally, this approach should be generalized.

2.04. Disputes Involving Colleagues

Social workers:

a.       Another social worker’s negative position related to employer should not be misused.

b.      For resolving conflicts among professionals, clients should not be used or included to the situation.

2.05.             Consultation

a.       For the benefit of client other social workers’ opinions should be taken under consideration.

b.      Qualifications and specializations of other social workers should be known. In consultation this factor should be used.

c.       If consultation is asked from other social workers, only related information should be shared.

2.05.    Referral to Another Professional

Social workers:

a.       For a proper service if qualifications and specializations of other professionals are needed, referral to another person should be considered.

b.      Referral situations should be organized with proper responsibilities taken into considerations. Before sharing private information, permission should be taken from client.

2.06.    Sexual Issues

Social workers:

a.       Who function as supervisor or field instructor, should stay away from doing any sexual harassment or sexual abuse.

b.      Should avoid have sexual relation with colleagues whom may have conflict of interest; or they should transfer their responsibilities to another social worker.

2.08.    Incompetence and Impairments of Colleagues

Social workers:

a.       If any weak points and impairments are observed related with personal relations, drug abuse, psychological problems, and if service insufficiencies are added; then primarily, this   situation should be discussed. In order to be helpful support should be given to overcome the problem.

b.      If this step can’t be taken then proper channels like The Association of Social Workers should be used.

2.09.             Colleagues’ Unethical Practices

Social workers:

a.       Should have information related to politics and procedures about their jobs.

b.      Proper precautions should be taken to inhibit, correct or imply any unethical practices.

c.       If any unethical practices are observed and if decided to be beneficial then solutions should be handled together.

d.      If colleague would not perform problem-solving efforts then related channels such as The Association of Social Workers should be informed and appropriate procedures should be used.

e.       Should defend and assist colleagues who unjustly accused with unethical conduct.

3.            ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN PRACTICES SETTINGS

3.01.             Supervision and Consultation

Social workers should put effort to generate a supervision and consultation system in the practices settings.

Social workers that give supervision and consultation:

a.       Should have the necessary knowledge and skill to provide such a service.

b.      Shouldn’t encroach limits of their knowledge and competence.

c.       Should form clear and comprehensible boundaries.

d.      Should evaluate the performance of the supervisee   with respect and fairness.

3.02.            Education and Training

Social workers should put an effort to generate a field educator system in the application environment for students.

Social workers that function as educator or as field instructor:

a.   Give information only related to their field and including the recent developments.

a.       Should form clear and comprehensible boundaries.

b.      Should handle the performance of the students with respect and just.

c.       Clients should be informed when students are providing services.

3.03.             Performance Evaluation

Social workers that have the responsibility of evaluating performance of others should fulfil such responsibility in a fair and considerate manner and on the basis of clearly stated criteria.

3.04.    Clients Records

a.       Social workers should keep records related activities on time, complete and accurate for simplification of the service and for providing continuity in the future.

b.      Confidentiality principle should be obeyed in preparing documents. Documents should contain information that can be used in service procedures only.

c.       Social workers should preserve records for further applications after termination of the provided service.

3.05.    Client Transfer

Social workers:

a.       Should carefully consider the needs of the client, who were getting services from another agency or colleague, contacts and demand services before agreeing provide services. In order to minimize possible complications and conflicts, potential client should be informed about relations with people and agency in their existing service and pros and cons of situation in their newly applied agency.

b.      Should discuss with the new clients if they are finding previous consultation beneficial to share or not.

3.06.            Administration

Social workers who work as administrator:

a.       Should advocate for resource allocation procedures to provide adequate internal or external support source in the agency in order to respond client’s needs.

b.      For the purpose of providing supervision suitable steps should be taken by making internal or external supports active.

c.       Should behave according to the specifications in their working environment. Suitable precautions should be taken in order to obey principles.

3.07. Continuing Education and Staff Training

Manager and supervisor social workers should provide suitable arrangements to perform training for all the stuff that they are responsible. They have to create adequate environment in order to make training continuous. They have to follow recent developments and information.

3.08.    Obligations for Employers

Social workers:

a.       Have to work or work in cooperation with the institutions that are careful and sufficient about their services and obey Social Workers Association’s principles, ethics and responsibilities.

b.      Have to contribute to realization of aims and functions of institution with the maximum standards and applications with the most suitable politics, procedure and treatments.

c.       Have to make institutions conscious about ethic principles and standards and perform their applications according to the requirements.

d.      Have to take first steps to put an end to applications where ethic principles and standards are not followed.

e.       Have to perform required changes, in political or procedural base, by using appropriate institutions. In the case of procedure failures, higher ranked authority applications should be performed and in order to attract attention of society suitable ways should be tried.

f.        Have play major role in deciding about proper workers and employment policies to increase service qualities. They have to suggest strategies to cancel unequal treatments.

g.       Have to use their institution’s resources equitable and within objective professional criterions.

3.09.    Employee-Employer Conflicts

a.       Social workers can join labour union or in the absence of such a union they can form a union in order to improve employee working conditions and services.

b.      Social workers that go on strike slow down work or quitting job should consider professional values, ethic principles and standards. They have to go over prior responsibilities as a member of an institution and examine related body of current law, problems and effects of action on employee.

4.            ETHICHAL RESPONSIBILITIES AS PROFESSIONALS

4.01.             Competency

Social workers:

1. Have to function and accept responsibility in the fields where s/he feels competent or have the potential to specialize.
2. Have to put an effort to become competent in professional applications and use a proper method to measure validity of information, which is used to build up personal development.
3. Have to practice procedures, which are valid according to the Social Worker profession and discipline based, information.

4.02.            Discrimination

Social workers should not practice, condone or facilitate, or collaborate with any form of discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, colour, sexual orientation, age, marital situation, political opinion, religion related believes, physical or mental disability.

4.03.            Personal Conduct

Social workers should not permit their private conduct to interfere with their ability to fulfil their professional responsibilities.

4.04.             Dishonesty

Social workers shouldn’t participate in, condone or be associated with dishonesty, fraud, or deception.

5.05.    Weaknesses

            Social workers:

1. Shouldn’t allow professional conflicts getting affected by difficulties like individual troubles, legal problems, economic insufficiency or mental status. Never let such weak points affect their performance on people who they are responsible professionally.
2. Have to take professional help, arrange working load or transfer more suitable area in order to protect client in the case of personal problems like physical, mental health, marriage or children and working field related problems or decision making problems.

4.06.    Representation

Social workers:

a.       Should make clear if public explanations and actions are represented as their individual opinion or on behalf union, institution or another group based.

b.      Should make explanations to clients, agencies or public, only related with professionally qualified subjects and services.

4.07.             Solicitations

Social workers:

a.       Should not undertake inappropriate demands of clients who are vulnerable being under pressure or force.

b.      Should not engage in uninvited solicitation or testimonial endorsements from current clients or other people who are vulnerable to undue influence, because of their particular circumstance;

§        Giving evidence

§        Giving certificate of good service, to be a reference, approval

Should not be accepted.

4.08.        Acknowledging Credit

Social workers have to take responsibility and take on efficiencies only for the activities that they perform or help, including copyright of the activity or related service. They should mention honestly if they get help.

5.          ETHICHAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION

5.01.    Integrity of Profession

            Social workers:

a.       Should to protect worth of social work profession, take responsibility of its ethic, knowledge and methodological principles and help to develop and make clear all these conditions. For achieving this aim they have to make investigations, observations and consultations and perform profession related responsibility critic.

b.      Should work in order to increase procedural level and development. They have to function for inhibiting unqualified social workers.

c.      Should give time activities that facilitate social work profession value, integrity and adequacy and help for development by their expertise. These activities will provide: education, research, and consultation, service providing, expertise, representation of profession on public and with these social workers joins profession related unions.

d.      Should make richer knowledge based area of social work. Share information with colleagues about service giving, research and ethics. They have to contribute research in his/her field and share information during seminars.

e.       Should investigate and support present or newly applied procedures and approaches.

f.        Should work in order to increase reliability of social work principles, procedures and services.

5.02. Evaluation and Research

Social workers:

1. Should monitor and evaluate policies, the implementation of programs and practice activities.
2. Should promote and facilitate evaluation and research to contribute to the development of knowledge.
3.  Should interrogate new information and its validity moreover, uses research result in their activities.
4. Should consider possible results in researches and evaluations and follow the guidelines developed for the protection of participants of evaluation and research. If any hesitation occurs they should apply specialized people or institution as reference.
5. Should inform participants about: they have rights to quit from the test and they will not get any penalty or punishment, verbally or actually. It should be explained that, no one could insist about staying in the test. Subject’s benefits, privacy, self-esteem will be given respect. Subject will be informed about this situation and voluntary and written informed consent should be obtained. Informed consent should include: information about the nature, extent, and duration of the participation requested and disclosure of the risks and benefits of participation of the research.
6. Should provide an appropriate explanation to the participants’ assent to the extent they are able if research participant incapable of giving informed consent, and obtain written consent from and appropriate proxy. Additionally, general information should be given to research subject about research.
7. Should not start evaluation or designing research before getting written consent. Considering possible positive benefits of the research end results, if it can be performed via natural observation, if it can’t be performed otherwise or research depends solely to statistical data collection, under such circumstances written consent step can be omitted.
8. Have to take adequate considerations for supporting research subject to help them reach proper service.
9. Have to protect research subjects from getting harm physically or mentally or possible research related distress, should be prohibited.
10. Have to share evaluation or research data only related professionals in case of being responsible from evaluation.
11. Have to secure data and make sure they are under control of privacy principles including names of research subjects and evaluation data. For security reasons if data has to be destroyed then this information should be given to the research subject.
12. Shearing evaluation and research results to public if there is no written acceptance privacy should be maintained via destroying ID information.
13. Evaluation and research results should be shared with public staying dependent on relying unreal or false data usage should be prohibited. In publishing procedure if any false data detected, then it should be corrected.
14. Have to be sensitive about benefit related conflicts and should stay away from such situations and private relations. Research subject should be informed about the existence of benefit related conflicts. In the case of such situation, as a problem solution should be designed for maximum common benefit of research subject.
15. Have to show progress about research result application in real life and educate his/her students and colleagues.

6.             ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SOCIETY

6.01.    Social Welfare

Social workers should promote the general welfare of society, from local to global levels; support individual, community and environmental development; advocate life conditions that satisfy basic human rights; support institutional development, cultural, social, economical and political values, which help social justice, built up.

6.02.        Public Participation

Conscious society joining should be facilitated in order to generate social politics and institutions.

6.03.    Urgent Needs of Society

Social workers should provide appropriate professional services with possible maximum broadness to satisfy urgent needs of society

6.04.    Social and Political Actions 

Social workers:

a.       Have to incorporate him/herself to social and political acts in order to satisfy basic needs of people and support development of individuals. They give support for reaching suitable resources, employment possibilities and equally reached opportunities. Social workers have to realize effect of political arena on applications. They have to defence the situations related with getting basic human rights and social justice, by making political and legitimate manipulations.

b.      Have to act for creation of chances and providing choices to all human beings, including sensitive, disadvantaged, under pressure groups.

c.       Have to provide support and environment to generate respect for cultural and social differences. This kind of procedures should be let well developed and supported for invasion of knowledge sources. Programs and institutions that show cultural adequacy should be supported. Politics that is giving hand to social equality and equality of all human should be supported.

d.      Should act to prevent and eliminate domination of, exploitation of and discrimination against any person, group, or class on the basis of race, gender, color, ethnic, age, marital status, belief, mental or physical disability.