1 Social Work: Definition, Scope, Values and Practice in India · 1.1 Foundations of social work
1.1.2 Principles, values and code of ethics of social work
Social work rests on values (dignity and worth of every person, social justice), turned into principles for practice (Biestek's seven: individualisation, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement, acceptance, non-judgemental attitude, client self-determination, confidentiality) and written down in codes of ethics (NASW 1960/1996; IFSW–IASSW 2018; India's Declaration of Ethics, 1997).
- APPSC Paper I
- Standard level
- 11 min read
- Free
Core facts
- Felix P. Biestek (American Jesuit priest), The Casework Relationship (1957): seven principles of the case work relationship:
| No. | Principle | Client's need |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Individualisation | to be treated as a unique person |
| 2 | Purposeful expression of feelings | to express feelings freely |
| 3 | Controlled emotional involvement | to get a sensitive, understanding response |
| 4 | Acceptance | to be accepted as a person of worth |
| 5 | Non-judgemental attitude | not to be judged or blamed |
| 6 | Client self-determination | to make one's own choices |
| 7 | Confidentiality | to keep one's secrets |
- Indian textbooks add general principles: communication, participation, social functioning / resource mobilisation. So "principle of communication" is a principle; "principle of judgemental attitude" is not (2023 key).
- Acceptance = accepting the person as he is, with strengths and weaknesses; it does not mean approving wrong behaviour.
- Self-determination = the client's right to make his own decisions; it is limited by his capacity, the law, harm to self or others, and the agency's function.
- Confidentiality is relative, not absolute: it gives way to the law, to a court, and to a serious risk of harm.
- NASW Code of Ethics: first 1960; present code approved 1996; revised 1999, 2008, 2017 and 2021. Six core values: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence. Ethical standards in six areas: responsibilities to clients, to colleagues, in practice settings, as professionals, to the profession, to the broader society.
- IFSW–IASSW Global Social Work Statement of Ethical Principles: 2018 (replaced the 2004 statement): dignity of humanity, human rights, social justice, self-determination, participation, confidentiality and privacy, treating people as whole persons, ethical use of technology and social media, professional integrity.
- India: the Declaration of Ethics for Professional Social Workers (1997), drafted through a national consultation led by TISS. It is voluntary: India has no statutory council to enforce a code (2026).
- Professional relationship: purposeful, time-limited, client-centred, controlled by the worker's knowledge and ethics; its base is rapport (mutual trust).
- Empathy = understanding the client's feelings from his point of view while staying objective; sympathy = sharing or feeling sorry, which can cloud judgement. Social workers use empathy.
- Carl Rogers (client-centred therapy): core conditions empathy, genuineness (congruence), unconditional positive regard.
Explained
1. Values, principles and ethics: the chain.
- A value is a belief about what is good or desirable (every person has worth).
- A principle is a rule for action that follows from a value (accept the client; do not judge).
- Ethics are the standards of right professional conduct, written in a code, that tell the worker what he owes to clients, colleagues, the agency and society.
2. Core values of social work (common list in Indian texts):
- inherent worth and dignity of every individual;
- self-determination and self-help;
- equal opportunity and social justice;
- social responsibility: of the individual to society and of society to the individual;
- democratic and humanitarian values; respect for diversity; human rights.
3. The seven principles in practice (a probation example).
- Individualisation: two boys accused of theft get different plans: one stole for food, the other with a gang.
- Purposeful expression of feelings: the worker lets the client speak out anger or fear, for a purpose (to understand and help).
- Controlled emotional involvement: the worker is sensitive, understands, and responds with feeling, but does not get carried away.
- Acceptance: the client is respected as a person even though the offence is not approved.
- Non-judgemental attitude: the worker does not decide guilt or blame; that is the court's job.
- Client self-determination: the client chooses among realistic options (which training course, where to live), within the probation conditions set by the court.
- Confidentiality: information is shared only for the client's benefit and on a need-to-know basis; the client is told in advance that reports go to the court.
4. Other principles in Indian lists.
- Communication: clear two-way exchange, verbal and non-verbal; the worker listens actively.
- Participation: the client takes part in finding and solving his own problem.
- Social functioning / resources: use and link the client to resources of the family, agency and community.
5. The professional relationship.
- It exists for the client's benefit, has a purpose, ends when the purpose is met, and carries authority that comes from the worker's knowledge and the agency's mandate.
- It is unlike a friendship: the worker avoids dual relationships (business, romantic or social ties with clients) and gifts or favours that blur boundaries.
- Transference: the client directs onto the worker feelings he had for someone else (a parent). Countertransference: the worker's own feelings towards the client. Both must be recognised and managed.
- Interpersonal relationship is the enabling factor in solving a client's problems; that is why the relationship is called the "soul" of case work (2023 assertion–reason theme).
6. Codes of ethics: what they cover.
| Code | Year | Key features |
|---|---|---|
| NASW (USA) | 1960; 1996; rev. 2021 | 6 core values; standards in 6 areas |
| IFSW–IASSW global statement | 2018 (earlier 2004) | 9 principles; human rights and social justice |
| Declaration of Ethics (India) | 1997 | TISS-led; voluntary, no statutory body |
Common ethical duties in all of them: serve the client's interest, get informed consent, keep confidentiality, avoid conflicts of interest, be competent and keep learning, respect colleagues, work for social justice, and report unethical conduct.
Common traps
- ✗ "Mary Richmond gave the seven principles of the case work relationship." ✓ Felix Biestek (1957). Richmond wrote Social Diagnosis (1917).
- ✗ "Judgemental attitude is a principle of social work." ✓ Non-judgemental attitude is.
- ✗ "Acceptance means approving the client's behaviour." ✓ It means accepting the person, not the wrong act.
- ✗ "Confidentiality is absolute." ✓ It is relative: law, court orders and risk of harm limit it.
- ✗ "Self-determination is unlimited." ✓ It is limited by capacity, law, harm and agency function.
- ✗ "Social workers should show sympathy." ✓ They show empathy: understanding without losing objectivity.
- ✗ "The NASW Code was first adopted in 1996." ✓ First code 1960; the present code was approved in 1996 and revised in 2021.
- ✗ "NASW has five core values." ✓ Six: service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence.
Quick revision
- Biestek 1957, The Casework Relationship: 7 principles.
- Individualisation, purposeful expression of feelings, controlled emotional involvement.
- Acceptance, non-judgemental attitude, self-determination, confidentiality.
- Also in Indian lists: communication, participation; "judgemental attitude" is not a principle.
- NASW code 1960 → 1996 → 2021; six core values (service, social justice, dignity, relationships, integrity, competence).
- IFSW–IASSW ethical principles 2018; India's Declaration of Ethics 1997 (TISS-led).
- Empathy, not sympathy; Rogers: empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard.
- Confidentiality and self-determination are relative; POCSO S.19 duty to report, S.21 punishment.
- Loewenberg–Dolgoff screen: protection of life comes first.
- Transference (client → worker); countertransference (worker → client).
Go deeper: Deeper (beyond what APPSC Paper I usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Limits of confidentiality. The worker must break confidence when the law or safety demands it. In India, POCSO Act 2012 Section 19 obliges any person who knows of a sexual offence against a child to report it to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or local police, and Section 21 punishes failure to report. In the USA, the Tarasoff case (California Supreme Court, 1976) created a duty to warn/protect a person whom a client seriously threatens. Court orders and pre-sentence reports are other limits.
- Ethical dilemmas arise when two values clash (self-determination vs protection of life). Loewenberg and Dolgoff's Ethical Principles Screen ranks them: (1) protection of life; (2) equality and fair treatment; (3) autonomy and freedom; (4) least harm; (5) quality of life; (6) privacy and confidentiality; (7) truthfulness and full disclosure. A higher principle wins over a lower one.
- Involuntary clients. Probationers, prisoners and children in homes did not choose the worker. Self-determination is then exercised within the conditions the court or law sets; the worker is open about the dual role of helping and supervising (care and control).
- Biestek's model reflects a one-to-one, therapeutic setting. Later critics added anti-oppressive and rights-based ethics, which ask the worker to challenge unjust structures, not only to help the individual adjust.
Practise this topic. Questions on Principles, values, ethics and methods of social work, including social work research, with answers explained.
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