Summary

This chapter describes examples of the values and ethical codes that aim to inform and govern practice in the overlapping domains of social care and social work in the UK. The provenance of these codes is considered. The history and nature of three broad streams of values that influence social care and social work are then described: ‘traditional’, ‘emancipatory’ and ‘governance’ values. The twin discussions of provenance and different value streams are used to argue that the codes manifest political and organisational dimensions as well as professional ones. The chapter then turns to a further dimension, interorganisational, and to a critical context for implementing values in social work and social care, namely interagency relationships. The three ethical themes of confidentiality, autonomy and justice, together with related practice issues, are then illustrated in the context of interagency relationships.

Introduction

Ethics in social care and social work are typically expressed through professional ethical codes. Codes perform a number of functions (Banks, 2004), but stand formally as guides to expected conduct of practitioners. This purpose concentrates attention especially on the relationship of practitioner and service user. Yet consideration of ethical codes and of the values that influence such codes, reveals other contextual dimensions, each one carrying implications for the practitioner–service user relationship. The dimensions are political, organisational and interorganisational.

Our exploration seeks to draw out these different threads by citing examples of codes, considering their provenance and analysing values and ideas that influence codes. The exploration will help to show, first, that values and codes express political and organisational influences as well as professional ones; and second, that the provenance of some codes signify changing relationships between the professional service giver and, respectively, the service user and the state.

The chapter then turns to the interorganisational dimension and from historical and theoretical analysis to practice. Using case examples of three ethical themes, a critical context is illustrated for implementing values, namely interagency relationships in social care and health care.

Social care and social work

The chapter refers both to ‘social care’ and to ‘social care and social work’ for the following reasons. The code of practice issued by the four UK national care councils (GSCC, 2002) applies the term ‘social care’ to embrace both social workers who number around 76,000 in England (Skills for Care, 2005) and the vastly greater numbers of other staff providing social care services.