Ethics - Recent Articles

Ethics Alive! Technological Competence and Humility - February 24, 2026
AI and other technologies are tools that social workers can use in practice while retaining human oversight and responsibility for client and community well-being. This article explores technological competence and technological humility.
Ethics Alive! “Snitching” Ethically: A Social Worker’s Guide to Reporting Duties - December 02, 2025
We can’t always protect ourselves from being perceived as “snitches” in reporting situations. Through informed consent, transparency, collaboration, and proportionality, we can strive to maintain trust and carry out our obligations professionally.
Ethics Alive! Virtue Ethics and the Golden Mean: The Value of Moderation in Social Work Practice - September 16, 2025
For social workers, the Golden Mean offers a robust framework for navigating ethical dilemmas. It shifts us from rule-following or consequence-calculation, grounding moral action in character and relational contexts.
Ethics Alive! When DEI Becomes a Dirty Word: Rethinking Our Language - June 17, 2025
Language can play a key role in building alliances, winning favor, and advancing good causes. When considering how to deal with the backlash against DEI, should we reconsider our terminology?
Ethics Alive! Ethical Responses to Conflict With Our Social Work Colleagues - April 10, 2025
How should aggrieved social workers respond when they believe that a colleague has behaved unprofessionally, rudely, or incompetently? The NASW Code of Ethics suggests that we should treat our colleagues with respect.
Ethics Alive! Before You Sign: Understand Confidentiality Provisions, Noncompete Clauses, and Other Terms of Employment for Social Workers - January 02, 2025
Confidentiality? Noncompete? Be sure that you have a clear understanding of key contractual terms, and their ethical implications, before accepting your next social work job.
Ethics Alive! Social Workers and the Ethics of Follow-Up and Termination With Clients Who Disappear - September 26, 2024
What are a social worker’s ethical obligations when clients do not show up for services? Consider a client who misses a scheduled meeting with you. You follow up, but the client does not respond. What now?
Ethics Alive! Coconuts and the Value of Social Relationships - August 06, 2024
“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” As social workers, we can relate this recent meme to our clients and make coconut PIE (person-in-environment).
Ethics Alive! The Ethics of Work-Based Versus Personal Advocacy - April 23, 2024
Be aware of the limits of agency-based advocacy and consider when it might be more appropriate to advocate using your personal time and resources. We must navigate the complexities of advocacy within organizational contexts with integrity.
Ethics Alive! Social Work Values and Roles in Times of War - January 18, 2024
In times of war, terrorism, and violence, many people grapple with a broad range of emotions. As social workers, it is crucial for us to recognize these emotions in ourselves and manage them effectively.
Ethics Alive! Anti-DEI Laws, Moral Distress, and Student Roles - November 08, 2023
A concerning trend has emerged as 22 states have introduced or enacted legislation that would restrict DEI initiatives and the teaching of DEI. These laws may present social work educators with a conflict between ethical and legal responsibilities.
From Classes to Cases: Education and Real-World Experience Shape Our Understanding of Social Work Ethics - July 28, 2023
Understanding ethics in social work isn’t as simple as taking a class and learning everything you need to know. The story of Maria illustrates the complexity.
Ethics Alive! Artificial Intelligence: Tricks or Tools for Social Work Education and Practice - July 07, 2023
The simple fact of “using” or “not using” AI does not dictate whether social work students are acting ethically. Similarly, there are both ethical and unethical ways in which students can use a variety of technologies.
Ethics Alive! Urgent Alert—Some States Have Banned Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Minors. What Are Social Workers’ Responsibilities? - June 16, 2023
Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Dakota, Arizona, and other states have recently banned or restricted various forms of gender-affirming health care with transgender people. Social workers play important roles as advocates for access to services.
Ethics Alive! Silence Is Not Golden - Advocating for Social Justice and Responding to Retaliation - April 06, 2023
When it comes to advocacy for social justice, silence is not golden. We need to say something and do something. At the same time, we need to be mindful and strategic and prepare for possible pushback and retaliation.
Ethics Alive! To Be Honest... Is It Okay for Social Workers To Embellish in Job Applications and Job Interviews? - February 16, 2023
Although many people embellish their résumés and withhold relevant information, there are many good reasons for being honest with prospective employers. Being true to our values, virtues, and ethical principles means being honest with others.
Ethics Alive! Anti-Woke Laws and Social Work Ethics - November 03, 2022
With recent backlash against the term woke, anti-woke laws have been proposed in at least 17 state legislatures in 2022, and Florida enacted its own “Stop WOKE Act.” What is a social worker to do when such laws affect ability to practice ethically?
Ethics Alive! Abortion Care and Social Work After Dobbs - September 01, 2022
In response to the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, Dr. Allan Barsky explores ethical issues for social workers in assisting those seeking abortion care but practicing in states that prohibit or restrict access to abortion-related services.
Ethics Alive! Ethical Conundrums for School Social Workers in Light of Legal Restrictions on Discussing Gender and Sexuality - August 04, 2022
Ethical challenges arise when school social workers (SSWs) are faced with conflicting ethical codes, laws, and policies. In particular, this article focuses on laws restricting SSWs’ ability to discuss sexuality and gender with students.
Ethics Alive! Narrative Ethics and the Value of Storytelling - July 07, 2022
Narrative ethics is an approach to exploring ethical issues by engaging people in storytelling. It is based on social constructionism, and there is no singular objective truth. Instead, it is relational and situational.
Ethics Alive! Anticipatory Dual Relationships in Social Work* - April 07, 2022
Dual relationships may be concurrent or sequential, intentional or unintentional. By anticipating dual relationships and conflicts of interest, we can plan how to navigate the ethical issues rather than simply reacting to problems after they arise.
Ethics Alive! The Ethics of SocBots: Imagining Siri and Alexa as the Next Generation of Social Workers - January 06, 2022
Can Siri and Alexa be programmed with social work values, knowledge, critical thinking, and communication skills? Is this the "new" social worker of the future? Can SocBots learn and adapt to provide better, more ethical services?
Ethics Alive! Money, Money, Money - September 26, 2021
You may be familiar with traditional forms of payment, but what about digital payments for social work services? We explore the ethics of using various means of exchange for our services.
Ethics Alive: Special Report on the 2021 Revisions to the NASW Code of Ethics - May 20, 2021
In recent additions to the NASW Code of Ethics, self-care has been added as paramount for competent, ethical social work practice. Also, social workers must take action against oppression, racism, discrimination, inequities and acknowledge privilege.
Ethical Issues With Termination Under Pandemic Conditions - April 29, 2021
Termination of services with clients has always been a consideration of social work ethics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, termination considerations became more critical for some.
Freedom To Discriminate and the Professional Obligation of Social Workers - April 19, 2021
An October 2020 decision, since reversed, would have allowed licensed social workers in Texas to discriminate, even though such discrimination is in violation of the NASW Code of Ethics.
Ethics Alive! When Medical Marijuana Is Both “Legal” and “Prohibited” - January 13, 2021
Medical use of marijuana (MuM) is legal in many states. Yet, it is prohibited by federal law. What is the social worker’s role with clients for whom MuM may be beneficial?
Ethics Alive! Elections in Light of Social Work Values - September 06, 2020
November 3, 2020, is election day. Voting and participating in electoral processes are vital ways to promote social justice and the other core values of the social work profession.
Ethics Alive! The Challenge of “Tainted” Donations - June 29, 2020
Would you or your social work organization accept donations from someone who expresses racism or homophobia, a company engaging in child labor, or a violator of human rights? Under what conditions would you accept (or not accept) a tainted donation?
Ethical Exceptions for Social Workers in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Physical Distancing - March 23, 2020
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are in extraordinary times. Consider the issues that arise when social workers are suddenly forced to provide services through technology that they previously provided in person. Ethical exceptions are discussed.

 

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