56 ● Kate van Heugten and Anita Gibbs
of professional values and linked these to codes of professional conduct and
ethics that members agree to adhere to in their practice as social workers
(Connolly 2013; Shardlow 2013). Because there are such diverse sources of
values, including personal, professional, and organizational, it is inevitable
that there will be instances of value conflict (Postle 2007). An example of a
commonly occurring value conflict—professional versus organizational—is
given by Postle (2007, 254): “Values conflict where the context for social
work appears to privilege the need to process work as fast as possible, con-
stantly aware that there are always far more people needing services than there
are staff to work with them or resources to meet their needs.”
In such situations, the organization’s bureaucratic goals might clash with
the professional’s concern for quality and flexibility. Organizational and pro-
fessional values might also conflict when risk avoidance is prioritized above
service users’ rights to self-determination, protection, or preventive (early inter-
vention) services (Postle 2007). Because values play such an important part in
decision making, it is vital that social workers identify what their own prefer-
ences are and how these preferences connect to or diverge from other value
positions. Sociologists likewise need to carefully reflect on what is of worth
and value to them in their developing relationships with vulnerable people.
When it comes to direct practice with service users, value judgments must be
made on a daily basis and used in conjunction with a wide variety of social work
skills (see next section). Value judgments compel human service professionals to
assign importance and worth to relationships. For example, caring relationships
will be positively valued, and abusive relationships will be negatively valued
(Connolly 2013; Connolly and Ward 2008). Some of these value judgments
have been incorporated into specific practice frameworks that can be used to
guide human service professionals in a particular context. These frameworks
draw on selective theories, knowledge, methods, ethics, research, critical reflec-
tion, and experience (Chenoweth and McAuliffe 2012; O’Connor et al. 2008).
Some examples of international practice frameworks are the Care and Protec-
tion Practice Framework, the Youth Justice Practice Framework, the Offender
Practice Framework, the Framework for Social Work and Human Service Prac-
tice, and Empowering Practice (Braye and Preston-Shoot 1995; Connolly and
Ward 2008; O’Connor et al. 2008). While it is beyond the scope of this book
to explore such practice frameworks in depth, sociologists are encouraged to be
aware of the potential usefulness of these frameworks in practice.
Social Work SkillsSocial work uses a distinct set of skills that distinguish it as a practice-based
and interventionist profession. While it is not possible to highlight every