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The six core values of social work aren't just abstract ideals you'll see on a poster in your field placement office—they're the ethical backbone of every decision you'll make as a practitioner. When you're sitting across from a client facing eviction, advocating for policy change, or navigating a complex family system, these values tell you how to act and why certain approaches align with professional standards. Exams will test whether you can identify which value applies in a given scenario, recognize when values conflict, and articulate how practitioners balance competing ethical obligations.
Understanding these values means grasping the difference between service as charity versus professional obligation, recognizing how dignity shapes client self-determination, and knowing why competence requires ongoing growth rather than a one-time credential. You're being tested on your ability to apply these values to real practice dilemmas—not just recite definitions. Don't just memorize the six terms; know what each value looks like in action and how they interact when ethical tensions arise.
These values place the individual at the heart of practice, emphasizing that effective social work begins with honoring who clients are and what they bring to the helping relationship.
Compare: Dignity and Worth vs. Importance of Human Relationships—both center the client, but dignity focuses on individual autonomy while relationships emphasize connection and interdependence. FRQs may ask you to navigate tensions between respecting a client's choice to isolate and recognizing their need for support systems.
These values push practitioners beyond individual casework toward challenging the systems and structures that create the problems clients face.
Compare: Social Justice vs. Service—both involve helping others, but service emphasizes direct assistance while social justice targets root causes and systemic barriers. A strong exam answer distinguishes between providing resources to a family (service) and advocating for affordable housing policy (social justice).
These values address how practitioners carry themselves—ensuring that the way we practice matches the ethical standards of the profession.
Compare: Integrity vs. Competence—both govern professional behavior, but integrity focuses on ethical character while competence addresses capability. You can have integrity without competence (honest but ineffective) or competence without integrity (skilled but unethical). The profession demands both.
| Concept | Best Examples |
|---|---|
| Client autonomy | Dignity and Worth, Self-determination |
| Systemic change | Social Justice, Advocacy |
| Professional obligation | Service, Competence |
| Ethical conduct | Integrity, Transparency |
| Relationship-based practice | Importance of Human Relationships, Engagement |
| Ongoing development | Competence, Lifelong learning |
| Power analysis | Social Justice, Dignity and Worth |
A client wants to make a decision you believe will harm them. Which two values are in tension, and how would you navigate this using the NASW Code of Ethics?
Compare and contrast how Service and Social Justice might guide a practitioner responding to food insecurity in a community.
Which value most directly supports a practitioner's decision to pursue additional training before working with a population they're unfamiliar with?
If an FRQ presents a scenario where a practitioner discovers a colleague is practicing outside their expertise, which two values would frame your response?
How does Dignity and Worth of the Person connect to culturally responsive practice? Identify a specific practice behavior that demonstrates this connection.