Social Work for Sociologists: Theory and Practice

Key Values, Ethics, and Skills for Working with People ● 55

various practitioners. Rather than regretting this plurality and attempting to
erase moral disagreements, however, he suggested that disagreement could be
a strength in solving ethical problems. Different positions do not necessarily
need to be forced into compatibility but can instead be used to refine and
check our thinking (Hugman 2012).
The following sections of this chapter outline social work values in more
detail and explore how these values underpin the practice frameworks used
when practitioners work with vulnerable people. Finally, we consider the eth-
ical dilemmas that might be faced by human service workers in Aleena’s case,
and how these might be resolved.

Social Work Values

Reamer (2006, 22) identified 14 commonly cited core social work values:

Individual worth and dignity, respect of people, valuing individuals’ capacity

for change, client self-determination, providing individuals with opportunity

to realize their potential, seeking to meet individuals’ common human needs,

seeking to provide individuals with adequate resources and services to meet

their basic needs, client empowerment, equal opportunity, nondiscrimination,

respect for diversity, commitment to social change and social justice, confiden-

tiality and privacy, and willingness to transmit professional knowledge and skills

to others.

Many other texts have been written on values, and as Reamer (2013, 24) has
also noted, these tend to include the same or similar “classic” core values (Banks
2006, 2012; Braye and Preston-Shoot 2005; Chenoweth and McAuliffe
2012; Connolly 2013; O’Connor et al. 2008; Shardlow 2013). Indige-
nous writers additionally highlight the importance of including culturally
appropriate values. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, for example, Ruwhiu (2013)
wrote about the need for the incorporation of wairuatanga (philosophy and
spirituality), whakapapa (relational development), tikanga/kawa (protocols
of engagement), mauri ora (well-being), mana (respect), and ko au (inter-
connectedness). It is important to note that indigenous values may not be
defined as values in the traditional sense but nevertheless do act as founda-
tions to practice models and ethical decision making when practitioners work
within indigenous contexts.
A number of authors have discussed different types of social work values—
for example, personal, professional, organizational, radical, and traditional
(Braye and Preston-Shoot 1995; Chenoweth and McAuliffe 2012; O’Connor
et al. 2008; Shardlow 2013). The International Federation of Social Work,
as well as national associations of social workers, have produced statements