Challenges in values education in social work: the case of the Visegrad four countries

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that there is generally an agreement on the irreplaceable role of the ethical component in social work education, our understanding of values in social work education still remains quite limited. The article aims to analyse, from the perspective of educators, the instilling of social work values at the Czech, Slovakian, Polish and Hungarian universities. Research findings allows to identify its types, threats and limitations and to indicate steps for its enhancement and for the implementation of the systemic concept of the values instilling education. The implications for social work education are as follows: to critically reflect the external threats and limits created by neoliberalism and its values; to critically reflect the internal threats and limits caused by the absence of systemic values education in some social work study programmes; to promote a systemic concept of values instilling education and consistently implement the inductive learning and integrated approach in values building in subjects included in the social work study programmes.