Core Values
The following values guide the behavioral expectations of students in the School of Social Work. These values are rooted in and aligned with the ethical principles articulated in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.
Accountability
Accountability refers to taking responsibility for one’s actions, decisions, communication, and the responsibilities associated with learning and practice. It includes acknowledging mistakes, following through on commitments, and actively working to repair harm when it occurs to the best of one’s ability and capacity. We recognize that repair may not always look the way others hope or expect, and we encourage individuals to stretch beyond what feels comfortable in order to engage meaningfully in the process. Harm may be understood and experienced differently across individuals and communities, and can include actions or impacts that undermine dignity, belonging, or well-being; this differs from experiences of discomfort, disagreement, or discontent. We invite community members to critically reflect on how they understand harm and how their actions may impact others.
In social work practice, accountability is central to maintaining ethical relationships with clients, communities, colleagues, and institutions.
This value aligns with NASW ethical standards related to:
• Integrity
• Ethical responsibility to colleagues
• Ethical responsibility to clients
• Professional competence
Students demonstrate accountability by honoring commitments, communicating proactively, and engaging responsibly in learning and practice
Intellectual and Moral Humility
Intellectual and moral humility refers to recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge, remaining open to learning, and being willing to reconsider one’s assumptions, beliefs, and perspectives. Social work requires continuous learning and reflection. Practitioners must remain open to multiple forms of knowledge—including lived experience, cultural knowledge, community wisdom, and emerging scholarship.
This value aligns with NASW ethical principles related to:
• Competence
• Dignity and worth of the person
• Importance of human relationships
• Cultural awareness and social diversity
Students demonstrate intellectual humility by engaging with curiosity, acknowledging uncertainty, and remaining open to feedback and new perspectives.
Honesty and Integrity
Honesty and integrity involve acting in ways that are transparent, ethical, and consistent with our community values. Social workers must be trustworthy, truthful, and responsible in their communication and practice. Integrity requires aligning one’s actions with ethical principles, even when doing so may be difficult.
This value aligns directly with the NASW ethical principle of Integrity, which requires social workers to behave in a trustworthy manner.
Students demonstrate integrity through honest communication, ethical decision-making, respect for confidentiality, and adherence to community standards.
Critical Consciousness
Critical consciousness refers to the ability to recognize and reflect on how systems of power, privilege, oppression, and institutional dynamics shape individual and collective experiences. Social workers must critically examine their own positionality and understand how social structures influence opportunities, barriers, and outcomes for individuals and communities.
This value aligns with NASW ethical principles related to:
• Social justice
• Dignity and worth of the person
• Cultural competence
• Commitment to addressing oppression and inequities
Students demonstrate critical consciousness by engaging in reflective practice, examining power dynamics, and remaining attentive to systemic factors that shape practice. environments.Since social work is a professional degree program, there are specific behaviors and issues which are unique to the field and its practice. The practice of social work requires integrating technical knowledge, ethical judgment, interpersonal effectiveness, and self-awareness. In accordance with the ethical standards of the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics and the professional competencies required by the Council on Social Work Education, students, staff, and faculty in the University of Washington School of Social Work are expected to demonstrate essential values, commitments, and skills that support ethical and effective social work practice.
These Essential Skills, Values, and Community Standards apply to student participation in:
• Classroom learning environments
• Field education/practicum placements
• Program-related meetings and activities
• Interactions with faculty, staff, peers, practicum community partners, and practicum clients
• Digital and online spaces connected to academic or professional activity
These expectations support the development of competent social workers and provide a framework for evaluating professional conduct and readiness for professional practice in the classroom, practicum, and beyond. They are part of the School’s academic standards.Essential skills, values and standards of professional conduct for admission to and continuance in the School of Social Work are part of the School’s academic standards. They are the physical, cognitive, emotional and character requirements necessary to participate fully in all aspects of social work education and the practice of social work. The expectation is that students will possess and develop these skills, values and standards as they progress through all aspects of the program, including in the classroom, in their field placements, and in the professional practice of social work. Attention to them will be paid by faculty responsible for making admissions decisions and for evaluating students’ classroom and practicum performance. Violations of these Skills, Values, and Standards of Professional Conduct can also become grounds for dismissal from the program and from the profession. Thus, it is important that they are well understood.
Commitments and Essential Skills
The values described above are enacted through the following learning and practice commitments and associated skills.
1. Collective Care and Community Engagement
Social work practice requires the ability to participate in collaborative environments grounded in respect, care, and responsibility to the collective learning community.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Be present physically and mentally in learning environments, including managing distractions and engaging actively.
• Contribute mindfully in group work and communicate effectively with peers.
• Follow through on commitments and shared responsibilities.
• Honor confidentiality and respect privacy when discussing personal, classroom, or field-related experiences.
• Provide space for individuals to share their stories and define their own experiences.
• Use “I” statements when sharing perspectives while remaining mindful of collective impact.
• Avoid generalizations and refrain from gossip or speculation about others.
• Practice balanced participation by taking space and making space in group dialogue.
• Recognize and value diverse forms of contribution within a learning community.
• Engage with awareness of positionality and demonstrate cultural humility.
Students should use these community standards when discussing classmates, faculty, staff, field instructors, or clients. The expectations apply to both in-person and digital spaces connected to the program and School.
2. Capacity to Give and Receive Feedback
Personal growth and development in social work practice requires the ability to engage in constructive feedback processes.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Provide feedback that is timely, clear, descriptive, and actionable.
• Communicate feedback respectfully and directly in both verbal and written formats.
• Distinguish between observations, thoughts, feelings, and interpretations when communicating feedback.
• Use “I” statements to communicate perspectives and experiences.
• Remain aware of power dynamics and positionality when offering feedback.
• Approach feedback conversations with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
• Treat feedback as an opportunity for learning and growth.
• Respect that individuals may have different needs and timelines for processing feedback.
• Tolerate discomfort, dissatisfaction, or lack of immediate closure in complex situations.
• Integrate feedback into reflective practice and demonstrate changes in behavior when appropriate.
Faculty, staff, and field instructors are also expected to provide students with clear, direct, timely, and constructive feedback to support learning and professional development.
3. Persistence and Sustainability
Social work practice requires resilience, realistic expectations, and sustainable engagement with complex social issues.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Recognize and communicate personal needs related to learning and practice.
• Commit to practices that support personal well-being and the well-being of others.
• Develop realistic expectations about the pace and complexity of social change.
• Practice radical acceptance when encountering limitations or uncertainty.
• Seek out and use supportive networks, mentorship, and professional resources.
• Maintain awareness of the broader social and systemic context shaping challenges.
• Recognize incremental progress within systems as part of meaningful change.
• Acknowledge personal and institutional limitations without disengaging from responsibility.
• Maintain an asset-oriented perspective that identifies strengths, resources, and possibilities.
4. Honoring Agency and Self-Determination (Advocacy)
Respect for agency and self-determination is central to ethical social work practice.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Recognize and hold space for multiple truths, experiences, and perspectives.
• Allow individuals and communities to define their own identities, experiences, priorities, and goals.
• Respect boundaries established by others, even when they differ from one’s preferences.
• Affirm and advocate for individuals’ rights and autonomy.
• Remain curious about how power, positionality, and institutional dynamics shape choices and opportunities.
• Reflect on how their own experiences and identities influence interactions with others.
• Distinguish between supportive engagement and controlling behavior when working with clients.
• Express disagreement respectfully without shaming, coercion, or invalidation.
• Offer meaningful choices and options when appropriate.
• Engage in collaborative consultation and shared decision-making.
5. Repair and Conflict Engagement
Conflict and harm occur within learning environments and professional practice. Ethical practice requires the ability to acknowledge harm, engage in repair, and maintain accountability.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Recognize and name harm when it occurs.
• Create space for others to name experiences of harm.
• Approach conflict with curiosity and inquiry rather than judgment.
• Regulate emotions and remain grounded during difficult conversations.
• Engage in dialogue that supports mutual understanding.
• Communicate needs or accommodations that affect the ability to participate in conflict resolution.
• Be thoughtful about how and with whom experiences of conflict or harm are shared.
• Consider the potential impact of involving additional individuals or systems in a conflict.
• Seek appropriate resources when needed, including mediation or supportive services.
• Remain committed to relational accountability even when disagreement persists.
• Reflect on one’s own actions and identify opportunities for growth or different choices.
• Follow up on commitments to change behavior and support repair.
6. Multi-Directional Learning
Social work education is a collaborative process in which learning occurs through multiple sources of knowledge and experience.
Students are expected to develop and demonstrate the ability to:
• Recognize that everyone in the learning environment has both knowledge to contribute and opportunities to learn.
• Practice intellectual humility when engaging with new ideas or perspectives.
• Remain open to learning from peers, faculty, clients, and communities.
• Acknowledge uncertainty and limitations in one’s knowledge.
• Value multiple forms of knowledge, including lived experience, cultural knowledge, and academic scholarship.
• Respect diverse learning styles and needs within the community.Motor and Sensory
Developing the competencies needed to become a social worker is a lengthy and complex process that requires students to participate in the full spectrum of experiences and requirements of the curriculum. The social work student must have sufficient motor abilities to attend class and perform all the responsibilities expected of students in practicum placement, at places such as hospitals and clinics. The student must also have the ability to acquire and integrate new information through the use of their senses to perform the functions that will be expected of them both as students and as professional social workers. Students who wish to request reasonable accommodations for meeting the Essential Motor and Sensory Skills requirement should contact the Office of Disability Resources for Students (DRS). DRS provides services to enrolled students who have a documented permanent or temporary physical, psychological or sensory disability that qualifies them for academic accommodations under the law. The professional activities of social work require that students be grounded in relevant social, behavioral and biological science knowledge and research. This includes knowledge and skills in relationship building, data gathering, assessment, interventions and evaluation of practice.
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
The social work student must demonstrate the interpersonal skills needed to relate effectively to other students, faculty, staff, clients and other professionals. These include compassion, objectivity, integrity and the demonstration of respect for, and consideration of others. The social work student must communicate effectively and sensitively with other students, faculty, staff, clients and other professionals. They must express ideas and feelings clearly and demonstrate a willingness and ability to listen to others. They must have sufficient skills in spoken and written English to understand the content presented in the program.
Adherence to Community Standards
Students are expected to demonstrate these values, commitments, and skills consistently across all aspects of their participation in the program, including admissions, classroom learning, field education placements, communication, and digital engagement.
Failure to demonstrate these essential skills and standards may result in supportive interventions, remediation processes, further review consistent with program policies, or termination from a practicum or the academic program.
These expectations are designed not as punitive measures, but as community standards that support the development of ethical, reflective, and effective social work practitioners.For admission to and continuance in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington, students must demonstrate a commitment to the core values of social justice and diversity. These values are critical to social work education and practice.
Social Justice
The social work student must value social justice, which includes promoting equality and human rights and recognizing the dignity of every human being.
Diversity
The social work student must appreciate the value of human diversity. They must serve in an appropriate manner all persons in need of assistance, regardless of the person’s age, class, race, religious affiliation (or lack thereof), gender, disability, sexual orientation and/or value system. Social work students must not impose their own personal, religious, sexual, and/or cultural values on their clients. The social work student must know how their values, attitudes, beliefs, emotions and past experiences affect their thinking, behavior and relationships. The student must be willing to examine and change their behavior when it interferes with their working with clients and other professionals. The student must be able to work effectively with others in subordinate positions as well as with those in authority.
Professional Conduct
The social work student must abide by the ethical standards of the profession developed by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics. In general, the social work student must behave professionally by knowing and practicing within the scope of social work, respecting others, being punctual and dependable, prioritizing responsibilities and completing assignments on time. The social work student must learn to be resilient in the face of the undesirable effects of stress and avoid burnout by exercising appropriate self-care including the development of cooperative and facilitative relationships with colleagues and peers. Adapted from the NASW Code of Ethics:
Privacy and Confidentiality
- (a) Social work students and professionals should not solicit private information from clients unless it is essential to providing services or conducting social work evaluation or research.
- (a) Social work students and professionals may disclose confidential information when appropriate with valid consent from a client or a person legally authorized to consent on behalf of a client.
- (b) Social work students and professionals should protect the confidentiality of all information obtained in the course of professional service unless sharing confidential information is necessary to preventing serious, foreseeable, and imminent harm to a client or other identifiable person.
Sexual Relationships and Physical Contact
- (a) Under no circumstances should social work students and professionals engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with current or former clients, whether such contact is consensual or forced.
- (b) Social work students and professionals should not engage in sexual activities or sexual contact with clients’ relatives or other individuals with whom clients maintain a close personal relationship when there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client.
- (c) Social work students and professionals —not their clients, their clients’ relatives, or other individuals with whom the client maintains a personal relationship—assume the full burden for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries.
- (d) Social work students and professionals should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm to the client as a result of the contact (such as hugging or massaging clients). Social workers who engage in appropriate physical contact with clients are responsible for setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive boundaries that govern such physical contact.
Respect
- (a) Social work students and professionals should treat colleagues and clients with respect and should represent accurately and fairly the qualifications, views, and obligations of colleagues.
- (b) Social work students and professionals should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues and clients in communications with others. Unwarranted negative criticism may include demeaning comments that refer to level of competence or to individuals’ attributes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical disability.
Unethical Conduct of Colleagues
- (a) Social workers should take adequate measures to discourage, prevent, expose, and correct the unethical conduct of colleagues.
- (b) Social workers should be knowledgeable about established policies and procedures for handling concerns about colleagues’ unethical behavior. Social workers should be familiar with national, state, and local procedures for handling ethics complaints. These include policies and procedures created by NASW, licensing and regulatory bodies, employers, agencies, and other professional organizations.
- (c) Social workers who believe that a colleague has acted unethically should seek resolution by discussing their concerns with the colleague when feasible and when such discussion is likely to be productive.
Approved by SSW Faculty Council, June 2011. Updated November 2018 to reflect gender-inclusive language.