Last Thursday Susan Nichols, professor of social work, kicked off the Institute for Ethics Brown Bag series this semester by presenting on the topic “NASW (National Association of Social Work) Code of Ethics and Ideological Criticisms.”
“The reason I chose [this topic] was because I feel that social work programs have come under attack by ideological forces and that we need to protect the NASW code of ethics,” said Nichols. “I think it’s important for all professions that teach from standards [to know] that they may have to defend those standards.”
The NASW code of ethics consists of six core values which are divided into 155 ethical standards. Among these include respecting the inherent dignity of every person, practicing professional competence, and recognizing the importance of relationships.
“Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and address social problems,” Nichols said. “I feel that social work has a very structured and carefully thought out code of ethics that can be highlighted.”
According to the presentation, social work programs have been criticized by right wing organizations for their code of ethics and the standards that students accepted into social work programs are held to.
“I was not aware of the criticisms going on for the NASW code of ethics,” said junior Ashley Forker, a social work major. “[The brown bag event] gave me a different perspective of how people can view the code of ethics. But it strengthened my view on how it helps the client in general.”
The National Association of Scholars has published several complaints about the social work profession including objecting to words the programs use in their curriculum, such as “oppression” and “distributive justice.” The association also accuses the programs of encouraging multiculturalism and diversity and teaching from a “liberal bias.”
“I don’t think that many social workers would deny that many of the values in social work are liberal and progressive,” said Nichols.
Along with the objections to the social work programs, the brown bag series also explained the social work profession’s response to these challenges, and discussed internal struggles social workers may experience because of conflicting beliefs and values.
“Overall it was really good,” said social work student, junior Alicia Fowler. “I think [Nichols] did really well. You can see her passion and personality in the classroom.”
After going to the program on Thursday, Fowler said she did not understand why people were vehemently opposed to the standards stressed by the social work profession.
“I was pretty baffled,” said Fowler. “What’s so bad about giving everyone respect?”
According to Fowler, this lecture helped expose her to opinions that were different from the mindset that her social work peers typically hold.
“I’ve always been taught that you should not be narrow-minded,” she said. “[The lecture] was kind of a wakeup call for me.”
According to Nichols, the best way to help opposing sides to the debate about the code of ethics come to a conclusion would be to openly communicate.
“We need to have more dialogue between the polarized factions in our community,” said Nichols. “We need to find a common ground…[and] we need to talk to reach understanding.”
Forker said that the brown bag series can be very beneficial to Adrian College.
“It helps students view different things, not only from their own standpoints, but from other standpoints and helps them better themselves for their profession,” she said.