CORE COMPETENCIES 1-5

PRESENTATION
By: Hillary Shore

COMPETENCY ONE

Identify as a professional social

worker and conduct oneself
accordingly.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.1

Advocate for client access to the services of social work.

Example: Clients need social workers to advocate for them for
different reasons. Some clients may not know of services that we
can help provide for them, while others may know of services but
not sure exactly how to go about getting approved for them. One
example from this week is that a client asked for information and
how to go about signing a CARS agreement (Continuing
Residential Support). A CARS agreement is for foster teens and
young adults ages 18-21. Overall, this agreement is signed to let
DSS handle and care for the child until they reach the age of 21.
With this agreement payments to the individuals caretakers can be
made but only if the child is attending or signed up for continuing
their education.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.2

Practice personal reflection and self-correction to assure

continual professional development.
Example: While interning I have kept notes of what I am
doing or observing so that I can write about it in my daily
journals. In addition, to discussing personal reflections
about certain situations. One thing that stuck out to me
was when visiting clients homes and not knowing what to
expect and being able to let go of any biases and focus on
making sure the clients needs are being met.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.3

Attend to professional roles and boundaries.

Example: Social workers have to understand the importance of
professional roles and boundaries. When visiting with clients we
have to remain professional and keep professional boundaries
with each client. We picked up a foster care client this week who
is 20 years old. She has been living in the same foster placement
since around May of this year. This client has mental issues and
was abandoned by her family however she is pregnant. While
interacting and observing this client she was so excited about
having a child but not really worried about how it was going to
change her life or what she was going to do. As professionals we
have to understand what our roles are and how to help guide
clients in the right direction.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.4

Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior,

appearance, and communication.
Example: When working with clients we must remain as
profession as we can. When observing the CFT (Child Family
Team Meeting) this week all of the workers displayed
themselves very professionally with their appearance, behavior
and communication. It is the workers job to help the clients
better understand what they are facing by properly
communicating their recommendations that they need to
implement in their lives to achieve their goals which is exactly
what happened during this meeting.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.5

Engage in career-long learning.

Example: Being able to engage in career-long learning
is what is going to help us be prepared when we find a
job in the future. Specific things that I think helped me
this week and something I may possibly get to do in the
future is knowing how a PPAT meeting (Permanency
Planning Action Team Meeting) and a CFT Meeting is
handled. These types of meetings may be meetings I
have to attend or even conduct in the future.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 1.6

Use supervision and consultation.

Example: I meet with my supervisor a couple of times
this week to discuss what I had done and what I was
going to do. She paired me with one of her workers that
is working in foster care until next week. This worker
continued to ask me if I had any questions or anything
that she needed to clarify, she was very helpful and did
not mind answering any of my questions.

COMPETENCY TWO

Apply social work ethical principles

to guide professional practice.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 2.1

Recognize and manage personal values in a way that

allows professional values to guide practice.
Example: Above everything social workers are professionals
and have to conduct themselves accordingly. No matter our
personal beliefs or feelings we have to do what is best for the
client even if it goes against our personal values. If a social
worker is conducting a parenting class and one client expresses
their beliefs and it is something that you do not agree with you
have to be able to separate your personal-self from your
professional-self and do what is right by the client.
If you feel you cannot do so let your supervisor know so that they can let someone
else handle that case.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 2.2

Make ethical decisions by applying standards of the National
Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and, as applicable, of
the International Federation of Social Workers / International
Association of Schools of Social Work Ethics in Social Work,
Statement of Principles.

Example: Social workers should have a good understanding

of the standards above and know how to use them
accordingly during their work. By understanding these
standards if a social worker is faced with an ethical
dilemma they will know which standard to apply in that
situation.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 2.3

Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts.

Example: Sometimes the ethical conflicts you are trying to
solve bring up emotions in you that are hard to hide. This is
when it is good to have a support system with individuals that
can help and reassure you by being there for you and helping
you realize that it is your job to do what is best for the client.
Before making any rash decisions on how to go about solving
conflicts social workers should have a clear understanding of
what the issue is. Then try to precede with resolving it even if
they do not agree with the conflict at hand.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 2.4

Apply strategies of ethical reasoning
to arrive at principled decisions.
Example: If you are faced
with a conflict that
involves many ethical
principles you have to
know which one should be
applied first. A good tool
to use is the Ethical
Principles Screen that we
learned in Social and
Economic Justice. Number
one comes first and then
the other six follow so
they need to be used in
that order of significance.

1. Protection of Life
Without life there are no other rights to enjoy.
2. Equality & Inequality
Persons of equal circumstances are to be treated equally, but
unequal circumstances may require unequal treatment.
3. Autonomy & Freedom
Social work strives to faster independence & freedom of
choice (But not to harm oneself or others)
4. Least Harm
When harm is unavoidable, do what harms least, or less
permanent or more reversible.
5. Quality of Life
Choose the option that leads to better quality of life for all
people.
6. Privacy & Confidentiality
Confidentiality is required by this principle (but not in cases
of potential harm or threat to lives.)
7. Truthfulness & Full Discloser
Practice decisions should permit full discloser of all relevant
information (Including potential benefit & potential harm)

COMPETENCY THREE

Apply critical thinking to inform and

communicate professional judgments.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 3.1

Example: As social workers it

is our job to be able to
recognize, evaluate, and
implement different types of
knowledge into practice.
Multidisciplinary Team
meetings consists of many
professionals. These
professionals bring different
sources of knowledge to the
meetings some of which
include: statistics and choices
through experience.

Distinguish, appraise, and integrate

multiple sources of knowledge,
including research-based knowledge,
and practice wisdom.
MDT Meetings Consist of:
School Personnel
Mental Health Providers
Victim Advocate
Case Workers
Detectives
Juvenile Court Counselor
Prosecution
Medical Professionals

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 3.2

Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and
evaluation.
Example: Social Workers use many different models to help
them assess, prevent, implement, and evaluate different
situations concerning clients. I believe an example of this
would be the Darkness to Light sexual abuse training. This is
because it teaches you how to assess and prevent situations
where children might be alone with an adult. By knowing this
these situations should always be interruptible and observable.
Interventions and evaluations can be put into place if any child
reports the abuse.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 3.3

Demonstrate effective oral and written

communications in working with
individuals, families, groups, organizations,
communities, and colleagues.

A good example of this is Child Family

Team Meetings. During these meetings
Example: Social workers
the case worker is updating the plan to
are required to work with
see what the clients need to work on or
clients in many different
improve. From what I have observed,
many clients at first do not understand
settings. While working
why the agency is asking them to work
with clients we need to
on things that they think is not the issue.
know how to reach them by It is the case workers and facilitators job
talking to them in a way that to help the clients understand the reason
why the agency is asking them to
they can understand what
complete certain programs. By doing
we are asking them to do or this
social workers have to be able to
work on.
speak to the client on their level.

COMPETENCY FOUR

Engage diversity and difference in

Practice

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 4.1

Recognize the extent to which a cultures structures and values may
oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance privilege and
power.
Example: All cultures are different and believe differently. It is a
social workers goal to have equal ground between them and the client
where no one is seen as superior or inferior to one another. Individuals
from some cultures are going to need more support from the agency
than others and this does not make them bad or different. However, we
have to help the clients as best we can by providing services to them.
In many Child and Family Team meetings clients feel as if DSS is
bulling them into completing the services when all they are trying to do
is support the families to utilize their power to complete the services
and get their children back.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 4.2

Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of

personal biases and values in working with diverse groups.
Example: Social workers should have no bias towards clients
because of their diversity. Diversity causes everyone to see or
believe differently which causes them to disagree on many
different aspects of a case. A lot of individuals from different
cultures believe they know how to parent their children when
those ways might be frowned upon in other cultures or within
the agency but we have to work with them to the best of our
ability to help them understand more productive ways to parent.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 4.3

Recognize and communicate their understanding of the

importance of difference in shaping life experiences.
Example: All individuals are raised in all different aspects of life. It
is not only important that social workers understand this but also the
clients because even as equals workers and clients have different
histories that helped shape them into who they are. Shaping ones life
can be how they grew up all the way to how they are raising their
children and anything they have experienced along the way. People
parent in a variety of ways; however, in the parenting class social
workers try to teach the most productive ways to parent. They do not
dwell on clients past experiences that may have been negative but
teach them ways to improve their parenting skills for the present and
future.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 4.4

View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they
work as informants.
Example: This is a behavior that I use on a daily basis while at the
Department of Social Services. I chose DSS because that is the
place I would like to get a job in the future. I am there to learn all
the information and skills I can so that I can become a productive
and professional social worker. Also, I see all of the social workers
at the agency as professionals that can help guide me and provide
me with the knowledge I can use to better myself for future jobs. I
am open to learning anything new that will enhance my social work
skills. In addition, to asking questions whenever I need clarification
on anything.

COMPETENCY FIVE

Advance human rights and social and

economic justice.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 5.1

Understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and
discrimination.
Example: Social workers should understand how clients may feel
oppressed or discriminated against. One client told the agency that she
felt as if she was being discriminated against and that the social
workers were not supporting her like they should because they were
judging her. She said it was because the agency had received so many
referrals on her regarding her ability to properly care for her children.
In addition, she said that she had changed but that she was still not
receiving proper assistance from her social workers. As a result, they
transferred her case to another County and now that County is asking
Robeson County DSS to file a petition to take custody of the children.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 5.2

Advocate for human rights and social and economic

justice.
Example: Social workers can advocate for clients to
participate in a treatment program even though they
might face stipulations. Advocating for clients helps
them so that they can benefit from the services and
function well within society; without having to face
social and economical issues.

PRACTICE BEHAVIOR 5.3

Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice.
Example: Employees in the Child Advocacy Unit conduct parenting
classes. Parenting is a learned behavior and social workers should help
the participants by not letting them feel stigmatized by not knowing the
proper ways to parent. Parenting classes are available to both men and
women because both parents should be able to succeed at parenting
without putting the sole weight of parenting on just one parent. As a
whole society sees women as more of the parental caregivers; however,
the social workers are providing social and economical justice to both
parents because they each have the options of receiving these particular
services.