The Bumpy Road of Ethics – principles of ethics and ethical competence in social work

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the ideal focus of normative professional ethics for social work. The methods we make use of, are philosophical refl ection and phenomenological analysis, informed by a recent qualitative study of elder care in the town of Vejle, Denmark. With emphasis on the relationship between abstract ethical principles and practice-oriented ethics, we argue for the importance of expanding the horizon in the investigation of practice-oriented professional ethics for social work. The bumpy road to the goals of ethics in practice, must be in focus, as an independent subject area of investigation. Applied ethics should not concentrate primarily on principles, argumentation, and acts of justifi cation – since to be ethically justifi ed in social work cannot be reduced to refl ection, making arguments and acts of justifying actions that employ ethical principles. We argue that there is a gap between ethical principles and their application to work practices. For instance, a one-sided focus on ethical principles disposes one to lose sight of context-specifi c details which are crucial to competent, ethical practice. For this reason, there is a need for examining what more precisely, and in a broader sense, enables social workers to be competent in handling ethical problems, dilemmas, and confl icts in their actual work practice. On this background, we suggest a substantial expansion of the subject matter when investigating normative professional ethics. We should examine the variety of things that serve the role of promoting reliable and qualifi ed, ethical attitudes and actions. These include the ethical functions and dysfunctions of emotions, moods and social atmospheres, self-monitoring and self-regulation skills, coping mechanisms, communication and group dynamics, social habits, norms, and institutions.