Values and Ethics in Social Work
- Chris Beckett - University of East Anglia, UK
- Andrew Maynard - Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Legal/Ethical Issues in Social Work
What are my values? What are the values of others around me? What are the values and ethics of the social work profession?
An awareness of our own ethical assumptions, and how these inform our practice, is crucial for the student social worker.
The Second Edition of this bestselling book is now split into two parts. Part I considers the foundations of every person's values and provides a background to moral philosophy. Part II examines key ethical issues and how they determine practice, such as using power, allocating resources, treating others with respect and celebrating diversity.
For the Second Edition, two new chapters have been added to the book, on:
- The political dimension in ethical decision making
- Realism as a guiding ethical principle
Written in a uniquely straightforward style, everyday social work practice is the key focus throughout. Every chapter includes interactive exercises and case studies, challenging students to reflect on a range of practical dilemmas.
Supplements
'A very promising second edition. I have used many parts of the first edition in my teaching and feel that the book has directly contributed to an increased understanding of the subject and higher assignment marks!' -
Lee Pollard, Sheffield Hallam University
The main advantage of this book is clarity and accessibility of the writing style. The authors are very honest in their writing, so students will find it easy to identify with them' -
Valeria Carroll, University of Lincoln
This is one of the core texts on values for social work undergraduates. Well written and easy to understand, accompanied by web support materials, it is an excellent addition to the field and a book I do not hesitate on recommending to my students.
This particular text has been used to support in the development of the ethics and values module on the social work programme. It has become a very useful text for both teaching staff and students. Students report that as a key text the book has been effective in supporting the taught sessions and provides case studies which are extremely useful for refection.
Great accessible text with useful case study and accessible introductions to the main ethical perspectives.
This is a first class text. It is well written, interesting and highly informative.
A robust ethics text book which will support my student learning well.
Excellent chapter (6) on being professional which I am going to use some of the exercises from. Excellent and very practical.
In my experience, students tend to struggle when considering questions of ethics, considering the subject matter to be intimidating and overwhelming. This text opens up this subject and offers the students the opportunity for deep learning within everyday examples.
The style of language used by Chris Beckett welcomes the reader into considerations of values and ethics within social work practice in a way that disarms the subject matter. Students using this book are enabled to access considerations of moral philosophy and realism which they may ordinarily only have the confidence to avoid.
Top class book - gives a different angle on this subject from the other standard texts as it's written with self-awareness made explicit.
Values and ethics can be a difficult topic for students to engage with; this text eases the process.