An Ethical Practice Dilemma Involving a New Social Work Graduate: Implications for Social Work Practice

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the important role of the social work supervision relationship and professional code of ethics for establishing and developing social work values in new graduates as part of practitioner development. In order to achieve this a case study is presented regarding the experience of a first-year, Australian, social work undergraduate faced with attempting to balance professional social work values with those of another discipline and client goals. A discussion takes place regarding the process of resolving the ethical practice dilemma, using the lens of the Solution Focused framework in supervision and the Australian Association of Social Work (AASW) ‘Code of Ethics’ during critical reflection processes. The ethical dilemma presented provides a catalyst to identify how these practices provide core frameworks for developing new social work practitioners. Finally, a brief discussion will take place regarding future research in the area of new social work graduate experiences and the implications this could have for social work education and practice.