Social Work Values, Ethics, and Professional Practice Standards
The ethical core
Social work's core values - service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, competence - are operationalized in the PASW Code of Ethics and in the PRC Board of Social Work's regulatory standards under RA 4373. Know self-determination, informed consent, confidentiality, competence, professional boundaries, and cultural humility. Self-determination is real but bounded by safety, law, and the rights of others.
Confidentiality and its limits
Confidentiality is not absolute. Limits include risk of serious harm to self or others, suspected child abuse or exploitation (RA 7610), violence against women and children (RA 9262), court orders, and consultation or supervision within the agency. Information sharing requires informed consent where possible, and disclosure should be minimal and documented.
Ethical decision-making
A workable sequence: identify the problem and stakeholders, check law and code, generate options, weigh consequences, consult, decide, act, document, and review. Dual or multiple relationships are avoided when they risk exploitation; gifts and self-disclosure call for reflection rather than reflex refusal.
Traps and rule of thumb
The strongest distractor is "maintain absolute confidentiality" or "respect the client's wish without question." Watch also for boundary violations dressed as friendliness and for competence overreach - referral is ethical, not abandonment. Rule of thumb: consult, then document. When two duties collide, the best answer usually includes consultation and a documented rationale. Worked example: a client discloses that her partner threatened her with a knife; the answer is safety planning, risk assessment, information on RA 9262 remedies and protection orders, documentation, and coordination with authorities with her participation - not silence.