Product Description

This is the leading introduction to professional values and ethics in social work. Frederic G. Reamer provides social workers with a succinct and comprehensive overview of the most critical issues relating to professional values and ethics, including the nature of social work values, ethical dilemmas, and professional misconduct. Conceptually rich and attuned to the complexities of ethical decision making, Social Work Values and Ethics is unique in striking the right balance between history, theory, and practical application.

For the third edition, Reamer has updated the content and strengthened the relevance of the case material. Also new to the third edition:

o Discussion of the moral dialogue between practitioner and client
o Coverage of virtue ethics
o Practical discussion of concepts underlying social work ethics
o Expanded application of the National Association of Social Workers Code of
Ethics to ethical dilemmas in the profession
o A look at the historical evolution of ethical standards in social work
o New vignettes, illustrating difficult ethical decisions
o More guidance on informed consent and termination of services
o Discussion questions at the end of each chapter
o A section on how to conduct a social work ethics audit

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #484411 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Review

"An invaluable tool for the experienced professional and the social work student, providing clear guidelines for exploring and resolving the ethical issues of our time." -- Lawrence Shulman, Boston University School of Social Work (of the second edition)

From the Publisher
If social workers' understanding of professional values and ethical behavior has matured in recent years as Dr. Reamer believes, he and a few other social work ethicists are responsible. . . . A sophisticated analysis of forms of malpractice and professional misconduct in both direct and indirect practice is richly illustrated by practice vignettes. Throughout, the growing complexity of ethical practice now and in the twenty-first century is clear and compelling. This is a book to be studied by all social work students and seasoned practitioners.

About the Author

Frederic G. Reamer is professor of social work at Rhode Island College and is the author of numerous books on social work and crime, including Heinous Crime: Cases, Causes, and Consequences and The Philosophical Foundations of Social Work.

Customer Reviews

Social Work Values and Ethics
Excellent overview of current thinking on the profession's ethics; will be useful in decision's about many thorny areas.

A valuable educational manual for students and professionals in the complex and changing field
Now in an updated third edition, Social Work Values And Ethics by Frederic G. Reamer (Professor of Social Work, Rhode Island College) is an articulate and thoughtful introduction to core ethical principles and common dilemmas in the field of social work. Chapters cover common ethical issues in direct practice and indirect practice, as well as problems in ethical risk management and ethical misconduct. Chapters are followed by "discussion questions" ideal for group study and participation. A valuable educational manual for students and professionals in the complex and changing field.

Leading text, but could be improved
The strongest advantage to this book is that it is written by one who was intimately involved in the development of the various codes of ethics adopted by social workers over the last thirty years. When Reamer explains a principle, value, or rule, the reader gets the feeling that it is an inside peak into the thought processes the committees actually shared.

Reamer presents social work as a value-laden profession. In chapter one he shares a brief historical perspective on the profession, and places the development of ethical codes for social workers within a larger national context that includes erosion of confidence in authority figures and scientific explanations.

The second chapter provides an excellent discussion of values and their importance to the profession, and it reconsiders the historical roots as a conflict between "case" social work and "cause" social work. His summary of the six orientations that have been taken toward social work is excellent. This chapter includes a long listing of various taxonomies of social work values. While of interest historically, it seemed a bit out of place and somewhat peripheral to the primary focus of the book, that is, the preparation of social workers for practice. It closes with discussion of the inevitable conflict between personal and professional values, and points to the implications of trust and distributive justice as effective means to resolve the conflict.

Ethical dilemmas and decision making are the focus of chapter three. Once again Reamer adds to his historical summary, including additional material on the development of social work codes of ethics. By this point the reader will be convinced that Reamer should have included one good chapter of history so that the three historical streams in the first three chapters could have been presented as one. He also discusses the NASW Code (1996) in detail, but this is best utilized by those who are updating their knowledge from an earlier code. Entry-level social workers do not really need to know how the code has changed, as much as they need to know the current text.

In the second half of chapter three, Reamer takes a more philosophical slant that tends to rely heavily on utilitarianism and on John Rawls' distributive justice. Reamer also presents his schema for resolving ethical conflict. This section is weak in two respects. First, Lowenberg and Dolgoff's ethical principles screen is not included in the discussion. Secondly, I feel that Reamer fails to address contemporary pressures, both political and religious, toward recognition and adoption of an absolutist approach to ethics.

Chapters four and five are application chapters in which Reamer guides discussion of a variety of ethical conflicts that have been and will be faced by practitioners. An argument could be made that these chapters represent the strength of the book. Reamer concludes with a final chapter on malpractice and the entire NASW code (1996) in an appendix.

Instructors considering Reamer as a textbook are warned that supplemental materials may be required. I believe additional information in moral philosophy and the ethical principles screen should be considered. Further, I believe that instructors will find it useful to integrate Reamer's historical sections into a more coherent format for student comprehension.