Ethics and Ethical Standards for Social Workers

Ethics and Ethical Standards for Social Workers is a CPD-accredited online course designed for social workers practising in the United Kingdom. The course supports registered social workers in understanding and applying ethical principles and standards that underpin safe, fair, and trustworthy social work practice.

It is particularly relevant for social workers facing ethical dilemmas, complaints, investigations, or fitness-to-practise processes, as well as those seeking to strengthen ethical decision-making, accountability, and public trust in their professional role.

Ethical practice is fundamental to social work and central to the protection of service users, families, and communities. Social workers regularly make complex decisions involving power imbalances, safeguarding, autonomy, confidentiality, and social justice. Failures in ethical judgement can place people at risk, damage trust, and lead to serious regulatory consequences.

Social Work England expects social workers to act ethically at all times, both within and outside professional practice. This course provides clear, practical guidance on ethical principles, expected standards, and how to respond appropriately when ethical concerns arise.

This course is suitable for UK-based social workers, including:

• Registered social workers regulated by Social Work England
• Social workers working in statutory, voluntary, and independent sectors
• Practitioners working with children, adults, families, and communities
• Social workers facing ethical concerns, complaints, or fitness-to-practise proceedings
• Professionals required to demonstrate ethical insight, reflection, or remediation
• Social workers seeking CPD evidence for appraisal, revalidation, or regulatory submissions

The course explores:

• What ethics means in the context of social work
• Core ethical principles including dignity, autonomy, confidentiality, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, honesty, integrity, and openness
• Ethical responsibilities set out in Social Work England’s Professional Standards
• Maintaining dignity, respect, and human rights
• Supporting autonomy, advocacy, and informed decision-making
• Confidentiality, information-sharing, and ethical use of technology and social media
• Safeguarding, beneficence, and preventing harm
• Accountability, honesty, integrity, and the duty of candour
• Professional boundaries and managing power imbalances
• Social justice, equality, and non-discrimination
• Consequences of breaches of ethical standards
• What to do if an ethical breach occurs
• Building insight into unethical conduct
• Reflection, remediation, and ensuring concerns are not repeated
• Rebuilding trust with service users, colleagues, employers, and regulators

On successful completion of this course, participants will receive:

• CPD UK certified accreditation
• An accredited CPD certificate
• CPD evidence suitable for appraisal, revalidation, remediation, reflective portfolios, and regulatory submissions

This course is explicitly aligned with Social Work England’s Professional Standards and ethical guidance. It supports social workers in demonstrating ethical awareness, insight, accountability, and fitness to practise.

The course is particularly valuable where Social Work England expects evidence that a practitioner understands ethical failures, has reflected meaningfully, and has taken steps to remediate and improve future practice.

This online course is relevant to social workers practising across England, in statutory, voluntary, and independent social work settings.