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Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Social workers understand the value base of the profession and its ethical standards, as well as relevant laws and regulations that may impact practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. Social workers understand frameworks of ethical decision-making and how to apply principles of critical thinking to those frameworks in practice, research, and policy arenas. Social workers recognize personal values and the distinction between personal and professional values. They also understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions influence their professional judgment and behavior. Social workers understand the profession’s history, its mission, and the roles and responsibilities of the profession. Social Workers also understand the role of other professions when engaged in inter-professional teams. Social workers recognize the importance of life-long learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to
ensure they are relevant and effective. Social workers also understand emerging forms of technology and the ethical use of technology in social work practice. Social workers:
make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the NASW Code of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context;
use reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism in practice situations;
demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior; appearance; and oral, written, and electronic communication;
use technology ethically and appropriately to facilitate practice outcomes; and
use supervision and consultation to guide professional judgment and behavior.
Introduction: Social workers know the importance of their profession's values, ethics, and laws. They use critical thinking and ethical decision-making in their practice, research, and policy. They understand the difference between personal and professional values and how their experiences affect their judgment. Social workers make ethical decisions based on codes of ethics and they use technology responsibly. The two artifacts I chose for this competency are a Journal entry from my internship and a service-learning reflection paper about Kent City Elementry School, where I volunteer.
Artifact 1: Journal Entry
The journal entry discusses my first few weeks at my internship and how I felt being there. In my journal, I mention how I felt nervous and anxious just being new to the surroundings and getting to know the people. I also discussed the first couple of days of my internship. My supervisor had me look at students' files, especially the new students who enrolled. While looking at their file, I'm looking to see if they have special education or receive services like social work or speech. This demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
Artifact 2: Service- Learning Reflection Paper
My Service-Learning reflection paper concerns volunteering at Kent City Elementary School for one of my social work courses. I discuss the agency, the primary client population I worked with while doing my service learning, what I did, what I learned about the professional and the population, and what I learned about myself from participating in this service learning. In reflecting on how I did at my service learning center, I reflected on what I needed to improve and what I liked while working there. This relates to using reflection and self-regulation to manage personal values and maintain professionalism.
Conclusion: Using my understanding of the values, ethical standards, and laws of the profession, I have shown growth in my internship and in my volunteer work at a school by applying critical thinking and ethical decision-making in practice. I have recognized the impact of my personal experience on my professional judgment and behavior. I will continue to grow in these skills throughout my social work career.
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