Reply:

Response 1

In the past, the nuclear family trope along with non-intersectional racial ties have been among the values undergirding government policy. This is evident in the absence of social policies to assist those who are leaving nuclear households. For context, women were not given the ability to completely provide for themselves without the presence of a man until the 1970s. In the United States, there has always been systemic racism so any comingling with races other than your own was frowned upon. Once the Civil Rights Act was passed in the 1960s, African-Americans received the right to be present in spaces that were originally “whites only”. Although traditionally, society would prefer single race, nuclear family homes, society has changed and that has allowed these new policies to exist. The code of ethics for NASW states that social workers should be aware of any conflicts between personal and professional values and deal with them responsibly. This explores the idea that regardless of your personal or professional opinions, a social worker should put them aside for their clients best interests. I personally value equal rights for LGBTQ people and the right to choose to abort when pregnant. These values somewhat align with the NASW Code of Ethics in that ethically, everyone should have equal rights and no one should be forced to carry a child when there are underlying conditions that would make life unsustainable and the pursuit of happiness unachievable. I do not believe these values will interfere with my work performance because my values align with the client having equal rights and making the best decisions for themselves.

Response 2

Social policy established in the United States was value driven by private assets and individual autonomy. The systems established in the 18th century valued private assets over public goods and individual autonomy over collective choices (Stern & Axinn, 2017). Moreover, I believe the systems wanted Americans to provide for self and be self-sufficient for living. However, that was not ideal for major of Americans because of socioeconomic conditions. Additionally, I believe this government policy connects to the social justice value in the NASW. The social justice ethical values states, “Social Workers pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people (NASW, 2021). Also, Social Workers focused primarily on issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice (NASW, 2021). I believe social justice is compared to the NASW Code of Ethics, because it supports the set of values and principles when the United States government established decisions address ethical issues. The value of social justice support programs and service for selected individuals and selected marginalized groups.

Additionally, the second value undergirding government policy is the primary family. The government believed the family was expected to provide for the welfare of its member, however, the family was unable to support due to external factors. Thus, some of the factors were changes in the job industry and society economic issues. Thus, the shift in the society values causes for the government to create policies which addressed social large issues. For example, the government created the Social Security Act to help the elderly population with economic issues (Stern & Axinn, 2017). I believe the government establishing services and programs to help decrease issues concerning economic, social, political, and medical problems. The government during the 18th century policies created the ability for helping individuals gain independency for living.

The NASW Code of Ethics set of core values are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence for social workers foundation (NASW, 2021). My two values that aligned with the NASW Code of Ethics are service and social justice. The primary value of service was selected because I enjoy working with various people and communities. My motto is to have a culture for service and service for humanity. This value would not inter with the performance of my work, however, reminds be that I’m here to serve with humility and respects for all individuals. Since I have worked in the human service field, I have served in various roles in mental health and child welfare. Additionally, service is essential for interacting and helping people in need with their problems. I believe the NASW values can improve my work performance as a Social Worker because it provides a guide of values and ethical principles to all workers to desire. In addition, the second value is social justice. I selected social justice because I work daily with vulnerable and oppressed in child welfare. Majority of the families I serve live in poverty conditions and experience social justice issues daily. I find pleasure advocating for my families to gain independence and referring them to resources to improve their challenges.

References

National Association of Social Worker. (2021, October 11). Code of Ethics. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of…

Stern, M. J., & Axinn, J. (2017). Social Welfare (9th Edition). Pearson Education (US).