A view from the caring professions
Banks S
Public Money & Management, (UK), Jan-Mar 98 Vol 18 No 1
Start page: 27 No of pages: 4
Reviews the literature in identifying four views of the relationship between codes of ethics in professional work and ethical conduct – from being crucial to being antithetical; examines four codes of ethics in social work and other caring professions, and considers their principles/rules and functions (for client protection, etc.). Observes that they vary greatly, and discusses the meaning of ethical conduct in the context of professional practice; argues that practitioners need to be able to reflect on the meaning of principles and to apply these in an informed way. Calls for a dynamic relationship between codes and practice, and believes that a sense of belonging to a community of practitioners facilitates the enactment of principles.