Social Work Ethics Curriculum in Taiwan:Current Status and future Development

Yen Chin, Assistant ProfessorYun-Hung Chang, Graduate Student

Social Work Department, Asia university

Outline

• I 、 Preface• II 、 Methodology• III 、 Findings• IV 、 Conclusion• V 、 Suggestion

I 、 Preface

• The formation of the social work profession includes three factors: professional knowledge, professional skills, and professional ethics; all three are indispensable (James C. Hsa, Ming-Cheng Li, 2001).

• Along with the progress and development of the social work profession, the society has higher expectations to social worker’s service quality and ethical conduct.

• In 1960, NASW of United States has published a formal social work code of ethics, there came out a large number of social work ethics literature from 1980.

I 、 Preface

• In Taiwan, Social Worker Law was promulgated in 1997, and the first edition of the Social Work Code of Ethics was formed in 1998. In 2008, Social Worker Law and Social Worker Examination were amended, and The National Union of Professional Social Worker Associations released a new version of the Social Work Code of Ethics.

• Ethics courses are devoted to social institutions, and professional organizations frequently hold social work ethics seminars and case conferences.

I 、 Preface

• The purpose of this study is to archive and analyze the current status of curriculum in universities and to make recommendations for the future improvement.

II 、 Methodology

• With the literature review method and the electronic database system of Ministry Education in Taiwan, this study examines university curriculum information so as to summarize and analyze the social work ethics courses of current status.

II 、 Methodology

• After depth interviews with 13 senior social workers in central Taiwan, this study understands their opinions toward the social work ethics teaching. These social workers are selected from the five specialist social worker representative areas, namely, the medical affairs, the mental health, the children and families, the elderly, and the handicapped. They each have at least five years' experiences in their special field, and their average working years are 14 years.

III 、 Findings

• A 、 social work ethics education in western countries

• B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan

A 、 social work ethics education in western countries• American Council for Education of Social Work

(CSWE, 2011) amended the Education Policy and Certification Standards (EPAS) in 2011.

• The values and practical application of ethical principles are exactly two of the four foundations of social work education courses.

A 、 social work ethics education in western countries• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB, 201

1) published a guide for the social work ethics course development, which includes course goals, core contents, and applicable areas of practice.

• Such ethics curriculum design has three levels of objectives. The guide also includes teaching methods, resource materials, and instructor qualifications.

B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan• The first academic year began in 2000 with 7 s

chools teaching social work ethics courses;• in 2005, with 12 schools;• in 2010, with 18 schools that offered social w

ork ethics course in the undergraduate program out of 27 social work schools.

B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan• In the undergraduate program, 21 courses out

of the 35 courses opened by the 18 schools are required courses, and the rest 14 courses are elective.

• 9 social work schools offered social work ethics course in their master program, and 1 of them makes the course required.

• 1makes its PHD program elective.

B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan

• Textbook, mainly in recent years published book, there are three most popular reference as follow:

• 1. Hua-Yuan Tseng, Huei-Ing Hu, Yang-Tzu Li , Shih-Fong Kuo,(2011) "social work professional values and ethics ", there have 29 classes recommend;

• 2. Cheng-En Pao, Yeong-Tsyr Wang, (2009). translate from Fredric G. Reamer " Social work values and ethics", 20 course recommend;

• 3. James C. Hsa, Ming-Cheng Li, editor“ Social work ethic ”, 15 classes recommend; “Social Thought and Ethics” 12 classes recommend;

B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan

• social work ethics education has been more and more attention, but the school curriculum under various names, educational objectives, core content, teaching methods are inconsistent, and a wide range of teaching methods.

• diversification of course presents school characteristics, however, the inconsistency of the core content of ethics courses may affect the implementation of social work.

B 、 social work ethics education in Taiwan

• Taiwan Association of Social Work Education in efforts to promote the core knowledge construction of social work

• In 2011 , Professor Yeong-Tsyr Wang has held three focus groups to design a framework of social work ethics courses teaching. we have participated one of those focus group, and share the findings of this paper.

IV 、 Conclusion

• A. The education of social work ethics is so important that more attention and proper planning should be paid to

• B. Social work ethics course teaching in university has substantial growth over the past decade

• C. There are certain current challenges of social work ethics courses teaching nowadays

• D. The academic and practical views of social work ethics teaching

B. Social work ethics course teaching in university has substantial growth over the past decade

• In 2000, seven schools offer social work ethics courses, In 2005, 12 schools ; in 2010, 19 schools.

• undergraduate program has 35 classes of social work ethics, 21 of them were required course, 14 of them were elective,

• teachers increased to 32.

B. Social work ethics course teaching in university has substantial growth over the past decade

• Social work ethics courses increase from 29%(2000) to 44%(2005)and 70% (2010).

• In undergraduate program, ten years to grow 5.5 times increased from 10 to 44 classes，

• 33% required courses(2000), to 50%(2005), and 60% of year, 2010.

C. There are certain current challenges of social work ethics courses teaching nowadays

1. Core content of social work ethics curriculum varies in different schools

2. Most students lack the experiences in intervening ethical dilemmas

C. There are certain current challenges of social work ethics courses teaching nowadays

3. No proper and effective evaluation methods and tools are available currently for the student’s learning

4. The overall design of the continual in-service training is unclear

5. Social worker’s ethics review mechanism is still under construction

D. The academic and practical views of social work ethics teaching• Professor Yeong-Tsyr Wang has held three focus

groups from October to December in 2011, through which she integrated 17 teachers’ and two graduate students‘ opinions to design a framework of social work ethics courses teaching and present the framework at the 2011 social work core competency construct seminar. The course of this framework contains 30% of knowledge level, 30%-40% of skill level, and 30%-40% of ethics and commitment level.

D. The academic views of social work ethics teaching• The curriculum contents include:1. Evolution of a social work professional values

and ethics2. Ethical principles and theories3. Chinese and Western cultures and values (whi

ch also include the culture of the aboriginal inhabitants, etc.)

D. The academic and practical views of social work ethics teaching

D. The academic and practical views of social work ethics teaching 7. Professional values, self-awareness of professio

nal ethical behaviors, and clarification of sense of moral

8. The process of ethical decision making in cases of dilemma

9. Both ethic risk management in the practice of social work and professional negligence and liability

D. The practical views of social work ethics teaching• From September to October in 2011, Chang had i

nterviews with 13 senior social workers in the five areas of central Taiwan, and the recommendations of social work ethics courses are as follows:

1. Educational goals: concept construction, to stress the importance value of helping others, and to have the speculative capacity and appropriate judgments choice when encountering conflicts

D. The practical views of social work ethics teaching• the recommendations are as follows:2. Teaching methods: experienced teachers use

role play, case discussion, interview of practitioners, lecture, seminar, and senior student experience sharing, etc.

3. Compulsory course, more credits, and the small-class teaching

4. Strengthening the internet information management capabilities

V 、 Suggestion

• This paper is only a small beginning, to understand the situation of universities and colleges of social work ethics courses teaching. However, what to teach? To meet the needs of the practical challenges? Who will teach? How to teach? How to assess learning outcome? How the convergence of pre-service and in-service training? Need continuing study.

V 、 Suggestion

1. Taiwan Association of Social Work Education to promote the teaching and assessment of social work ethics curriculum.

2. The National Union of Professional Social Worker Associations’ Taiwan, and other professional bodies to commit to the survey and offer of the continuing education and training of social work ethics.

V 、 Suggestion

3. The competent authorities of Social Affairs, to construct the authority and credibility of the ethics review mechanism and incorporate them into the teaching course.

4. The academic field of social work and the practitioners to concern ethics teaching and continuing education and to cooperate in social work ethics research.

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