Core Values &

Principles
of Social Work
Learning Competency
Explain the principles and core
values of social work.
HUMSS_DIASS 12-Ie-18
 Core Values
They serve as guiding principles
that shape the behavior and action
of its members in interacting with
their clients and other people.
 Mendoza (2002) cited that the Council on Social Work
Education identified and described six (6) values that
are shared by the social work profession.

Each person has the right to self-

Right to Self- fulfillment which is derived from
Fulfillment his/her inherent capacity and thrust
toward the goal;
Each person has the responsibility as a
Responsibility to member of the society to seek ways of
Common Good fulfillment that contribute to common
good;
 The society has the responsibility to
facilitate self-fulfillment of the
Responsibility
individual and the right to enrichment
of the Society
through the contribution of its individual
members.
Each person requires for the harmonious
development of his powers socially
provided and socially safeguarded
Right to Satisfy
opportunities for satisfying his/her basic
Basic Needs
needs in the physical, psychological,
economic, cultural, aesthetic, and
spiritual realms.
 The notion that individual and society
Social Organizations has the responsibility to provide
required to facilitate appropriate social resources, it is the
individual’s effort at right of the individual to promote change
self-realization in social resources that do not serve
his/her need-meeting efforts.
To permit both self-realization and
contribution to society by the individual,
social organization must make available
Self-realization and
socially-provided devices for need-
contribution to society
satisfaction as wide in range, variety,
and quality as the general welfare
allows.
These values according to the Curriculum Study sponsored by the Council
on Social Work Education as cited by Mendoza (2002) comprise a
minimum commitment from the social worker and the following concepts
are implied in these values:
A. Concept of human
This is premised on the belief that a person is
potentials and
capacities inherently endowed with potentials and capacities.

B. Concept of social An individual has the obligation to contribute to

responsibility the common good and society.
C. Concept of equal This is premised on the ideal of social justice, two
opportunities elements of which are fairness and equality.
This is based on the premise that there will
D. Concept of social always be everywhere with unmet needs or
provision problems which are beyond their own capacity to
solve.
 ▪ Respecting clients under different circumstances;
▪ Understanding the meaning and causes of client’s
behavior;
1. Acceptance ▪ Manifests warmth, interest and concern about the client
and her/his situation;
▪ Recognizing the individual or people’s strengths and
potentials, weaknesses, and limitations.
▪ Client is expected to participate in the process.
▪ Gathers information in defining the nature of the problem
2. Client’s
and participates in planning ways in resolving such
participation in
problems;
problem-solving
▪ Identifying resources to solve and act through the help of
different available resources
 ▪ The idea behind this principle is that the
3. Self- clients-individuals, groups, or communities
Determination who are in need have the right to determine
their needs and how they should be met.

▪ Recognizing and understanding the client’s

own unique characteristics and using different
principles and methods for each client.
4. ▪ No two clients are exactly alike
Individualization ▪ Social interventions differ for each client
considering their unique qualities and
situations
 ▪ Client should be accorded with appropriate
projection, within the limits of the law, with no any
harm that might result from the information given to
5. Confidentiality the social worker.
▪ The client should be assured that what he or she
divulges will be kept in confidence.
▪ Moreover, confidentiality entails privacy
▪ Social worker is conscious about her/his role in
making use of her/his professional relationship with
the client in a way that will enhance the client’s
6. Worker self- development rather than his/her own.
awareness ▪ The social worker consciously examines her/his
feelings, judgments, biases and responses whether
these are professionally motivated.
 ▪ The purpose of client-worker relationship is to
help the client in some area of his/her social
7. Client-worker
functioning in which, at the present he or she is
relationship
experiencing some difficulty, and where the
worker is in the position to offer help.