Essential Skills, Values and Standards of Professional Conduct

Essential skills, values and standards of professional conduct in the School of Social Work and Criminal Justice are part of the School’s academic standards. They are the requirements necessary to participate fully in all aspects of social work education and the practice of social work. The social work student must demonstrate the essential skills needed, with or without accommodations, to participate in class and in practicum placement. Necessary skills may vary depending on specific classroom and practicum settings. Students who wish to request reasonable accommodations in order to be able to fully participate and/or demonstrate essential skills, should contact the Office of Disability Resources for Students (DRS), their faculty, and/or practicum sites. 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 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 practicum 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.

A. Curiosity and Critical Thinking: The social work student must demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and apply knowledge and research findings to professional performance. The student seeks multiple ways of knowing and actively engages in ongoing learning and knowledge acquisition.

B. 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, integrity and the demonstration of respect for, and consideration of others. The social work student must communicate effectively and appropriately with other students, faculty, staff, clients and other professionals. They must express ideas clearly and demonstrate a willingness and ability to listen to others.

C. Self-awareness and Reflection: Social work students must have an awareness of their emotions and how they affect their interactions with other students, faculty, staff, and colleagues. Students must demonstrate an ability to deal with current life stressors through the use of appropriate coping mechanisms. Students demonstrate a willingness to respond to stress effectively by using appropriate tools and strategies and developing supportive relationships with colleagues, peers, and others.

D. Values of Social Justice and Diversity: For admission to and continuance in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington Tacoma, students must demonstrate a commitment to the core values of social justice and diversity. These values are critical to social work education and practice. The social work student must value social justice, which includes promoting equality and human rights and recognizing the dignity of every human being. 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.

E. Professional Conduct: The social work student must abide by all 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 by exercising appropriate care strategies including the development of cooperative and facilitative relationships with colleagues and peers.

Approved by SW Division, October 2023. 

Approved by AG office January 18, 2024.

Approved by School of Social Work and Criminal Justice Faculty February 9, 2024.