SOC 480 Topic 6 Discussion Question 2 Describe the social issue you are analyzing for your capstone proposal. Next, explain how a social worker with a Christian worldview can conduct research on your selected social issue as well as be involved in direct practice while still adhering to the code of ethics and respecting the client’s rights and dignity.

SOC 480 Topic 6 Discussion Question 2

Describe the social issue you are analyzing for your capstone proposal. Next, explain how a social worker with a Christian worldview can conduct research on your selected social issue as well as be involved in direct practice while still adhering to the code of ethics and respecting the client’s rights and dignity.

 

answer:

There is difficulty in being a social worker who also holds a Christian worldview. It is hard to resolve the conflict between the job of a social worker, which involves direct practice and conducting research on social issues that are against personal doctrine. However, social workers can still fulfill the definition of a professional while holding their personal beliefs in God. As professional Christian social workers, these workers can still be held accountable to ethical codes in which they represent the client’s rights and personal beliefs by bringing their own experiences and background while practicing as a professional.

Social workers are expected to abide by a code of ethics, which is described in the NASW’s Code of Ethics (2015) and prescribes how social workers engage with the world. In order to respect their clients’ rights and dignity, social workers must ensure that they understand their clients’ situations and develop interventions that only address problems directly related to them (American Counseling Association, 2005). As such, practitioners need to take into account the complex and multilayered nature of social issues in order to conduct policy action and direct practice.

The topic that I have chosen to explore for my Capstone Paper is the issue of the foster care system. Although there are many different aspects of this issue to examine, I will focus on one child welfare worker who has a collaboration and partnership with biological parents and is able to effectively keep families together and help children remain in healthy and positive environments. This is partially due to this particular CPS worker’s Christian worldview, which believes that all individuals are valuable no matter their standing in society. The point of view being explored here is that individuals should be valued and loved by everyone because they were all created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). When a worker with elements of their Christian worldview can apply it to actually working with clients, it acts as a benefit to them on both a physical spiritual level.

Despite the progress that social workers have made in the last several decades, including legislation protecting the rights of clients and increasing education requirements for professionals, ethical violations are still prevalent in social work practice. For example, in a survey published by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), nearly 60 percent of respondents indicated that they felt personal pressure to compromise their values because they thought they were necessary to help their clients (Watson and Williams, 2015). Compromising one’s values is not acceptable practice. There are many methods used by individuals in other professions that can be implemented into the field of social work without compromising ethical standards.

Christian social workers should possess a strong theological foundation in order to provide holistic, person-centered care and set the ethical tone for their clients. A Christian social work ethic is framed in the Hebrew scriptures and revolves around protecting the dignity of each person; therefore, emphasizing nonviolence, forgiveness, compassion, and respect for all.

Social Work is a very noble profession. Due to the fact that social workers take an oath to uphold, it’s appropriate to review them as they are integral to a positive professional career.

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