Social Work Values and Ethics

by Frederic G. Reamer

Overview

This is the leading introduction to professional values and ethics in social work. Frederic G. Reamer provides social workers with a succinet and comprehensive overview of the most critical issues relating to professional values and ethics, including the nature of social work values, ethical dilemmas, and professional misconduct. Conceptually rich and attuned to the complexities of ethical decision making, Social Work Values and Ethics is unique in striking the right balance between history, theory, and practical application.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231214421
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	05/28/2024
Edition description:	Sixth Edition
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Frederic G. Reamer is professor of social work at Rhode Island College and is the author of numerous books on social work and crime, including Heinous Crime: Cases, Causes, and Consequences and The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
1	Social Work Values and Ethics: An Overview	1
2	Social Work Values	11
3	Ethical Dilemmas and Decision Making: A Framework	43
4	Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work: Direct Practice	87
5	Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work: Indirect Practice	123
6	Ethics Risk Management and Ethical Misconduct	155
	Afterword	189
	References	195
Appendix	NASW Code of Ethics	209
	Index	229

What People are Saying About This

Carel Germain

This sophisticated analysis of forms of malpractice and professional misconduct in both direct and indirect practice is richly illustrated by practice vignettes. This is a book to be studied by all social work students and seasoned practitioners.

— Carel Germain, University of Connecticut School of Social Work

Lawrence Shulman

An invaluable tool for the experienced professional and the social work student, providing clear guidelines for exploring and resolving the ethical issues of our time.

— Lawrence Shulman, Boston University School of Social Work (of the second edition)

Editorial Reviews

Frederic G. Reamer’s accessible approach to social work values and ethics is informed by decades of extensive scholarship and addresses important contemporary issues. He offers a powerful resource for social workers to expand critical thinking, strengthen practice, and improve effectiveness in navigating complex ethical dilemmas.

Malitta Engstrom

As an attorney and social worker who defends and advises social work professionals, I am grateful for the theoretically deep yet profoundly practical guidance offered by the sixth edition of Reamer’s Social Work Values and Ethics. It deserves a prominent place on every social worker’s bookshelf.

David Barry

Synthesizes for social workers the knowledge and debates around work values and ethical dilemmas, and professional misconduct, that have grown throughout the history of the profession, emphasizing those that are most pressing in contemporary practice. Discusses such aspects as the nature of social work's mission, the process of ethical decision making, confidentiality, paternalism, labor-management disputes, termination of service, and the impaired social worker. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

As an attorney who advises and defends social workers, I am grateful for this fifth edition of Dr. Reamer’s Social Work Values and Ethics. It provides practitioners in this digital age a needed roadmap showing the road home to the professions’ values and ethics.

David C. Barry

The oft-cited Rick Reamer has become a household name in social work education and practice. The fifth edition of Social Work Values and Ethics will continue to influence academicians, students, and practitioners. Moreover, the timely book will address the 2018 changes in the NASW Code of Ethics, which will have a profound impact on practice and education. Well done!

Stephen M. Marson

A vital reference source for contemporary practice.

Canadian Association of Social Workers Bulletin - Beverley J. Antle

Now in its fifth edition, Frederic Reamer’s Social Work Values and Ethics has become the canonical text in social work ethics. Through theoretical and case-based analyses, this new edition presents students, practitioners, and researchers the opportunity to develop a solid foundation in ethical reasoning that is both sophisticated and practical.

Dominic Sisti

Clear. Comprehensive. Current. In this edition, Reamer builds on the sound foundation of this time-honored text with cases and questions that reflect changes in the Code and the contemporary complexities of social work practice.

Kim Strom-Gottfried

The strength of Reamer’s approach is bringing values, ethics, practical decision making, and risk management into conversation with a wide variety of case studies and dilemmas occurring directly in everyday social work practice. Practitioners and educators will especially profit from Reamer’s updated chapter on professional misconduct, entanglements in which social workers might easily find themselves, and how to prevent such situations from occurring in the first place.

Daniel Liechty

A valuable educational manual for students and professionals in the complex and changing field.

Wisconsin Bookwatch

A very clear and practical book for social worker practitioners in North America and beyond for reference on ethical decision-making.

China Journal of Social Work

A vital reference source for contemporary practice.

— Beverley J. Antle

Canadian Association of Social Workers Bulletin