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Running Head: SW Essay

Social Welfare Values Essay

Amy M. McDonough
Loras College

Running Head: SW Essay

Amy McDonough
Intro to Social Welfare
SW Essay

Value. The definition of it on merriam-webster.com explains value to mean the monetary

worth of something. I believe everyone values something in their life, whether it is their
family/friends, a favorite possession of theirs, or even just their life in general. There is always
something that can be cherished and valued.
The two most important values that I hold close to me are my family and my life. I have
eight people in my family so there is always someone there for me to talk to. Even though we
might not get along sometimes, I dont know what I would do without them. They are the reason
why I continue to stay strong. I would do anything and everything for them just as I know they
would do the same in return for me. I love and value my family tremendously.
My life is another thing I value. I have been in two car accidents in my life and one was a
major one. It was a drunk driver accident where I got a broken nose, 32 stitches on my forehead,
and a concussion. I dont remember the accident but from what I heard about it from other
people, it didnt sound good at all. When my mom first saw me in the hospital, there was a priest
ready to pray over me and recite my last rites. My mom told that to me and I couldnt believe it.
After hearing the stories and seeing pictures of this incident, my life is something I treasure and
make sure I live it safely yet still to the fullest.
Both my family and life values impact how I behave as a person and as a student. I have
morals and set standards on how I want to act and what I believe is right. My parents instilled
rules on me and so therefore I became immune to follow them. When you value something, you

Running Head: SW Essay

will hold it close to you and make sure you never let go. Thats what I plan to do with both my
family and my life.
The first core value of social work is service. Social workers primary goal is to help
people in need and to address social problems. They elevate service to others about self-interest.
Social workers are also encouraged to volunteer some portion of their professional skills with no
expectation of significant financial return.
The second core value of social work is social justice. Social workers challenge social
injustice. They pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed
individuals and groups of people. Social workers social change efforts are focused primarily on
issues of poverty, unemployment, discrimination, and other forms of social injustice.
The third core value of social work is dignity and worth of the person. Social workers
respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social workers treat each person in a caring
and respectful fashion, mindful of individuals differences and cultural/ethnic diversity. They
seek to enhance clients capacity and opportunity to change and to address their own needs.
The fourth core value of social work is importance of human relationships. Social
workers recognize the central importance of human relationships. They understand that
relationships between and among people are important for change. Social workers engage people
as partners in the helping process.
The fifth core value of social work is integrity. Social workers behave in a trustworthy
manner. They are continually aware of the professions mission, values, ethical principles, and
ethical standards and practice in a manner consistent with them. Social workers act honestly and

Running Head: SW Essay

responsibly and promote ethical practices on the part of the organizations with which they are
affiliated.
The sixth and last core value of social work is competence. Social workers practice
within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. They
continually strive to increase their professional knowledge and skills and apply them into
practice. Social workers should aspire to contribute to the knowledge base of the profession.
When I first came to Loras College, all the freshmen participated in Launch into Loras.
Each MOI group took part in some type of service around the community. My MOI group went
to Albrecht Acres to help clean up the cabins and campground. It was a fulfilling experience to
know that we helped people who were in great need of our assistance.
Everywhere I go I respect people because I would like the same in return. Social justice
and dignity and worth of the person can tie in together. I believe everyone deserves to be treated
equally and without being prejudiced against. I like to follow the saying, Treat everyone how
you would like to be treated.
Relationships are all around us. We have relationships with our family members,
professors, boyfriend/girlfriends, etc. People can either help you or hurt you but its all up to you
to decide that. Many of the time when you are in some type of healthy relationship, the person
will support and be there for you. Relationships are a nice way to create a sense of
comfortableness within yourself and the other person.
There is nothing that bothers me more than a liar or a person I cannot trust. Without trust
there is nothing. Lies add a sense of uneasiness and confusion that no one likes to deal with. I try
to be the kind of person to tell the truth in every situation I encounter. I am not a good liar

Running Head: SW Essay

whatsoever and so if I ever do lie I always have a sense of guilt on me and then I admit what I
lied about. I always remember that trustworthiness is the key in a healthy relationship.
It can be enjoyable to learn new things and gain knowledge along the way. One of the
most rewarding things to do after you learn something is pass your knowledge onto the next
person so they will understand and know what you found out. Its a continuous cycle of learning
for all!
Ethical standards are very important in the social work profession. Some of the standards
are enforceable guidelines for professional conduct. The extent to which each standard is
enforceable is a matter of professional judgment. Two of the ethical standards include 1) Social
workers ethical responsibilities as professionals, and 2) Social workers ethical responsibilities
to the broader society.
The first ethical standard is social workers ethical responsibilities as professionals. Their
ethical responsibilities to fulfill as professionals include competence, discrimination, private
conduct, dishonesty, fraud, and deception, impairment, misrepresentation, solicitations, and
acknowledging credit.
The second ethical standard is social workers ethical responsibilities to the broader
society. Their ethical responsibilities to fulfill to the broader society include social welfare,
public participation, public emergencies, and social and political action.
In order to put these ethical standards into practice in my life as a student at Loras, I must
get involved with the clubs and organizations that work to end some of these complications. I
know Loras has a social work club that I am interested in. They talk about many of these issues

Running Head: SW Essay

and try to get involved in the community by participating in different services projects. I hope to
soon look more into the variety of clubs Loras has to offer.
I am looking into starting a career in social work, psychology, or sociology. I love being
able to help people out of a situations that they dont want to be in, which social work does so I
could see myself in this career because of that aspect. I love digging deep into the mind and I like
to try to find out why people think and act the way they do, which psychology does. Last but not
least with sociology, I like to see how and why people react to each other the way they do. All
these careers interest me and I hope to pursue at least one of them in my near future.
If I were to choose social work as my career, I would bring the strength of compassion
and understanding to those in difficult situations that they cant seem to find their way out of. I
can relate to the ones who have been living in the lower class range because my family has been
there and still is. My mom is going back to school to become a Spanish teacher but because of
that she is out of a job. There is no source of income coming in except for the little child-support
money from my dad; its hard to make ends meet. I dont know where we would be if my mom
didnt receive help from the government like housing, food stamps, etc. I think being able to
relate to others in the same situation my family and I are in will help me understand and better to
relate to different types of people easier.
Like I mentioned earlier before, I have eight people in my family so therefore its been a
tough road for us financially. If I were in the social work career, I would be easily relatable to the
ones in the same situation as me but I think Id have a hard time coming to a conclusion on how
to get out of poverty and for them to move forward if my family and I cant do it ourselves.
Poverty seems like a farfetched thing to overcome and can take years to generations to get out of.

Running Head: SW Essay

Although that limitation may put me at a setback in the social work career, I plan to look behind
it and find answers to bring about change for not only my family and I but whoever wants to
change and succeed as well.

Running Head: SW Essay

Reference List
Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. (2011). Retrieved November 15,
2011, from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
(2011). Merriam-Webster. Retrieved November 15, 2011, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/value