NASW's Ethics Resources

As social workers in an ever-changing practice environment, we are all at times faced with ethical challenges and dilemmas such as:

• Conflicts around confidentiality
     • Mandated reporting issues 
     • Computer records
• Confusion of boundaries in clinical practice 
     • Dual relationships 
     • Sexual exploitation 
     • Use of power 
     • Impact of impaired practitioners on client care 
     • Managing shrinking resources in our practice
• Issues involving client's rights.

The Massachusetts Chapter of NASW has a strong emphasis on activities in the area of social work ethics.

We were one of the first chapters to establish an Ethics Commission to provide consultation to social workers confronting ethical dilemmas in the workplace, and education to individual social workers and agencies on ethical issues.

NASW's Ethics Resources consist of three areas:

• The Ethics Hotline: addresses professional ethical dilemmas by telephone consultation.
• The Ethics Committee (formerly "The Committee on Inquiry"): provides professional peer review whenever an allegation of unethical practice by a member social worker arises. The Professional Peer Review process includes reviewing and resolving complaints of ethical violations or unfair practices that could be detrimental to NASW's mission and core values.
• Ethics Education: presents in-service training programs, organizes conferences, provides consultation to assist agencies to develop an ethics committee.