Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ethics Committees In Social Work, Frederic Reamer

Frederic G Reamer

This article discusses the need of professional ethics committees, which will provide guidelines for social workers on the moral needs and limitations of their clients. Course content in social work training programs, workshops, and literature on the subject have increased substantially since the mid-1970s. In part, this is due to increased awareness among social workers that decisions in practice often contain ethical issues that clinical and technical tools alone cannot resolve. Complex decisions about limitations on clients' right to confidentiality or self -determination, allocation of limited social service resources, and whistle blowing have led social workers to seek guidelines to …