The social worker as moral citizen: ethics in action

Area of Science:

• Social Work Ethics
• Moral Philosophy
• Professional Responsibility

Background:

• Social work practice involves navigating increasingly complex ethical dilemmas.
• Existing ethical guidelines may not fully address the multifaceted nature of modern social work challenges.
• A need exists for a robust framework to support ethical decision-making in social work.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel framework of moral citizenship for guiding ethical social work practice.
• To integrate key philosophical concepts with social work principles.
• To provide a structured approach for enhancing social workers' ethical reasoning and action.

Main Methods:

• The framework synthesizes the action philosophies of Hannah Arendt and Paul Tillich.
• It incorporates concepts of professional responsibility specific to social work.
• It draws upon the foundational contributions of social work pioneer Charlotte Towle.

Main Results:

• The proposed moral citizenship framework emphasizes social conscience and social consciousness.
• Key components include awareness, critical thinking, emotional engagement, and action.
• This integrated approach aims to foster more ethically informed and effective social work interventions.

Conclusions:

• The moral citizenship framework offers a comprehensive approach to ethical social work.
• It equips social workers with tools to address complex ethical dilemmas proactively.
• This framework supports the development of ethically responsible and socially conscious social work professionals.