You may have found that it is not easily defined. At its highest level, ethical behaviour consists of universal principles—that of doing unto others as we would like them to do unto us. Ethics is the set of moral values held by an individual or group. As you can see, ethics is closely tied to values. According to the Collins dictionary, values are the ‘moral principles or accepted standards of a person or group’.
This topic should provide you with the ability to recognise how to work ethically in the community services industry, both respecting and protecting the rights of clients. You will learn to:
protect the rights of clients when delivering services, regardless of personal values, beliefs and attitudes;
utilise appropriate problem-solving techniques when facing competing value systems, and discuss potential ethical issues with appropriate personnel; and
recognise and report unethical conduct to appropriate personnel.
Section 3.1: Ethics and ethical standards
Activity 3.1
Use a dictionary to define the following terms:
Ethics
Beliefs
Attitudes
Values
3.1.1 Identify underlying values
We all bring our own beliefs, attitudes and values to our chosen area of work. A belief is a principle or idea that is accepted to be true. An attitude is the way a person views and behaves toward something in an evaluative way. A value is the accepted standards of an individual or group.
Working in the CSI is one of a helping profession, ideally to create change for people. Often, it is the worker that is the first to change.
3.1.2 The importance of professional ethics
In order to leave your personal values out of the client–worker relationship, you need to be aware of the impact they may have when you come across clients who do not behave in ways that you agree with—that is, clients who have different values and beliefs to you. You may find that with such clients you become judgmental or notice that you are encouraging clients to make a decision that reflects what you think they should do (based on your values and beliefs) rather than working with the client to come up with their own ideas about how to resolve the issue.
That is why it is so important to have ethical standards, so that we are operating by a professional set of guidelines—not by what we personally think is right or wrong.
3.1.3 Ethical codes of practice and guidelines
Each professional discipline or its professional association, eg. social work, psychology, nursing, welfare work, etc. has its own particular code of ethics and/or code of conduct. All members are required to abide by their own professional code of ethics and sanctions may be applied by the professional body for breaches of these codes. ethical codes are usually broad and encompass key areas of concern for the particular type of work being performed. Professions show commitment to a moral standard of behaviour by clarifying what ethical conduct is supposed to be. They are guidelines rather than rules.
The following Code of Ethics is one example used in the community services industry.
Other codes of conduct will cover similar issues but may use different words. If you want to compare this code to another, there is a detailed code of ethics for social workers available at the Australian Association of Social Workers website: www.aasw.asn.au
Working in the 