GUIDING ETHICAL VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

The guiding ethical values and principles relate to the general approach as is reflected in the Rules relating to the course of conduct to be followed by social workers in the practising of their profession.
Social workers, student social workers, and social auxiliary workers respect the dignity and worth of individuals, families, groups, and communities and strive towards providing quality services. Practitioners strive to uphold and protect the fundamental human rights of client systems and themselves, as enshrined in the South African Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In pursuit of quality services, social workers aspire and subscribe to the following ethical values/principles.

1. Social Justice
   Social workers challenge social injustice. Social workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals, families, groups, and communities. Their efforts are focused inter alia on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice. These efforts seek to promote insight and sensitivity regarding cultural and ethnic diversity. Social workers strive to ensure access to needed information, services and resources, equality of opportunity and meaningful participation in decision making for all people affected by adverse conditions.
2. Respect for People's worth, Human rights and Dignity
   Social workers accord appropriate respect to the fundamental human rights, dignity and worth of all human beings. They respect the rights of individuals to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination, and autonomy, and are mindful that legal and other obligations may lead to inconsistency and conflict with the exercise of these rights. Social workers are aware of differences relating for example to age, gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socioeconomic status. They strive to eliminate the effect of biases based on these factors in their work and they do not knowingly participate in or condone unfair discriminatory practices.
3. Competence
   Social workers strive to maintain high standards of competence in their work. They recognise the boundaries of their particular competencies and the limitation of their expertise. They provide only those services and use only those techniques in which they are qualified by education, training, or experience. In areas where recognised social work standards do not yet exist, social workers exercise careful judgement and take appropriate precautions to protect client systems. They maintain their knowledge of relevant scientific and social work information related to the services they provide and they recognise the need for continuous education and development. Social workers make appropriate use of scientific, social work and administrative resources and aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession.
4. Integrity
   Social workers behave in an honest manner. They seek to promote integrity in the science, teaching, and practice of the profession. In these activities social workers are honest, fair, and respectful of others. Social workers strive to be aware of their own belief systems, values, needs, and limitations as well as the effect they have on their work. Wherever feasible, they clarify their roles to those involved and function appropriately in accordance with these roles.
5. Professional Responsibility
   Social workers uphold professional standards of conduct, clarify their social work roles and obligations, accept appropriate responsibility for their behaviour and adapt their methods to the needs of different client systems. They cooperate with other social workers and institutions as needed in order to serve the best interest of their clients. They are also concerned about the ethical compliance of their colleagues' conduct. When appropriate, they may consult the South African Council for Social Service Professions and colleagues when faced with ethical dilemmas.
6. Show care and concern for others' well-being
   Social workers recognise the importance of human relationships. They do not exploit or mislead other human beings during or after termination of a social work relationship. They engage people as partners in the helping process and seek to strengthen relationships among human beings in a purposeful effort to promote, restore, maintain, and enhance the well-being of individuals, families, groups, organisations, and communities.
7. Service delivery
   Social workers' primary goal is to assist individuals, families, groups, and communities and address social needs and social problems. Social workers elevate service to others above self-interest. They are encouraged to contribute a portion of their social work time for little or no personal advantage by way of volunteering or providing a community service. During the process of service delivery, the principle of client self-determination should be practised by social workers within the boundaries of clients' capabilities and the context of the social needs and social problems they experience.
   Services should be accessible to clients, with information about the services to clients and communities being provided openly and transparently. High levels of courtesy, standards and professionalism should be maintained at all times.