Ethical Social Work Practice in Direct Work with Carers and Children

Abstract

This article considers some of the ethical implications of social workers undertaking more direct work with carers and children in the field of child protection. Following the UK government's near-complete acceptance of the recommendations of the Munro report into child protection in England and Wales, it seems inevitable that direct work will become more and more a feature of practice for child protection social workers. Whilst this development is almost universally welcomed, this should not disguise the fact that direct work can be fraught with ethical difficulties and challenges. This article explores in general terms three of the main potential areas of difficulty—the use of video-recording, informed consent and interpreting the meaning of direct work—before considering some specific responses to these in the context of a particular skills-based training intervention to improve the ability of child protection social workers to engage in direct work.