Journal of Social Welfare and Human Rights December 2014 ...

1 Journal of Social Welfare and Human Rights December 2014, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 01-16 ISSN: 2333-5920 (Print), 2333-5939 (Online) Copyright The Author(s). 2014. All Rights Reserved. Published by American Research Institute for Policy Development DOI: URL: Human Rights and Social Work Codes of Ethics: An International Analysis Annie J. Keeney1, Amy M. Smart2, Regina Richards2, Shannon Harrison2, Manuel Carrillo2 & Deborah Valentine3 Abstract The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was designed to articulate values, guide behavior and protect the basic Rights that are inherent to all Human beings.

2 The aim of this research is to identify ways that the international Social work community explicitly reflects the ideals of Human Rights in its codes of ethics. The Social work codes of ethics from 20 nations were examined for explicit reference to Human Rights . Fifteen (75%) codes explicitly referred to Human Rights . Five codes of ethics did not refer explicitly to Human Rights anywhere in the document. Language is a powerful tool in Social activism.

3 The authors discuss recommendations for future action. Globalization, Human Rights , and value-based, decision-making are central tenets of the Social work profession. The recent death of Nelson Mandela is a stark reminder that the Social work profession has a deep commitment to Human Rights and the Social work values that characterize the profession. In September 1948, the Commission on Human Rights drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

4 On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly officially adopted the Declaration ( ). The United Nations articulated a universal definition of Human Rights to be embraced by all nations. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) states: 1 MSW, Amy Smart, MSW, Regina Richards, MSW, Shannon Harrison, MSW, Manuel Carrillo, MSW are doctoral students in the School of Social Work, Colorado State University.

5 Email: 2 Colorado State University 3 PhD, Colorado State University, School of Social Work, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Email: 2 Journal of Social Welfare and Human Rights , Vol. 2(2), December 2014 Human Rights are Rights inherent to all Human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our Human Rights without discrimination.

6 These Rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible ( ). Professions such as medicine, law, nursing, and Social work articulate the common values, principles, and standards of conduct of the profession in documents referred to as a code of ethics. As early as 1915, Abraham Flexner challenged the status of Social work as a profession. One criticism noted by Flexner was Social work s lack of a value base or professional spirit. The Social work community began conversations about guidelines for professional behavior shortly afterwards.

7 Reamer (1987) credits Mary Richmond as having drafted an early Social work code of ethics in the 1920s. Despite Flexner s early challenge, the first code of ethical behavior for Social workers did not appear until 1960 when the American edition of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics was approved on October 13, 19604. Based on humanitarian and democratic ideals, the Code articulates the basic values of the profession of Social work and defines standards of professional behaviors.

8 In 1994 the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) introduced ethical standards for Social workers (Congress & McAuliffe, 2006). Given that both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Social work codes of ethics are designed to articulate values and guide behavior, the researchers were interested in exploring consistencies and inconsistencies between these documents. Thus, the purpose of this study is to review the IFSW s Statement of Ethical Principles and codes of ethics that are currently adopted by associations of Social work across the world and examine their congruence with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights .

9 The aim of the analysis is to identify ways that the international Social work community explicitly reflects the ideals of Human Rights . Literature Review A brief review of the literature pertaining to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , Social work values, and Social work codes of ethics is provided below. 4 Revisions were made in 1967 and1979. Modifications to the Code were made in the 1990s and the current edition of the NASW Code of Ethics was approved in 2008.

10 Keeney et al. 3 Human Rights Following atrocities uncovered during World War II, leaders from around the globe were motivated to prevent future crimes against humanity. The Charter of the United Nations was signed in 1945 and became the foundation for the international organization. The United Nations formed a Commission on Human Rights and a declaration of Human Rights was drafted.