Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Professional Values and Ethics Syllabus - Mumbai University
This is the syllabus of the College of Social Work (Empowered Autonomous), Nirmala Niketan, which is the only college offering the B.S.W. under the University of Mumbai. The college has been autonomous since 2019-20 and empowered autonomous since 2024-25, so it sets this syllabus and conducts these examinations itself, and the degree awarded is still a University of Mumbai degree. The University last set a common B.S.W. paper of its own in 2019; this is the current document, amended in June 2026.
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Syllabus for Professional Values and Ethics
About this course
It is important to help learners to develop professional values and ethics prior to entry into the social work workforce. As the individual values and ethics may differ depending on many factors including one’s culture, religion, family, it will take time to develop or change mindset as per professional requirements. Various approaches to professional values and ethics education have been adopted across disciplines, such as law, medicine, and business. In social work education, for instance, experiential learning approach is necessary for students to encompass knowledge of professionalism, values and ethics. Hence active learning and problem-based approach such as case studies, role-playing, group discussions shall be used in this course as strategies of teaching professional values and ethics.
Course objectives
- To create an awareness on Professional Ethics and Human Values.
- To help learner identify the multiple ethical interests at stake in a real-world situation or practice
- To create awareness on assessment of safety and risk before taking decision which has ethical implications
Learning outcomes
- CO 29 Discuss the concept of Profession in social work and its status with respect to India
- CO 30 Describe the implication of Values with reference to Social Work practice.
- CO 31 Identify an ethical issue in the subject matter under investigation or in a relevant field
- CO 32 Demonstrate ethical decision-making utilising tools of decision making in ethical dilemmas
Unit I: Concept of Profession and Values in Social Work
- Concept of profession
- Attributes of a profession
- Professional status of social work
- From occupation to profession trajectory / Efforts by Associations for professionalising social work
- General human values; Three core values of social work:
- Implication of values driven practice
Essential readings
- Dubois, B., & Miley, K. (1999) Social Work: An empowering Profession. London: Allyan and Bacon
- Narayan, L. (1996). Values and Ethics in Social Work, Perspectives in Social Work, 11 (3), 2-9.
- Reamer, F.G. (1998). Ethical Standard in Social Work: Washington, DC: NASW Press
Unit II: Decision Making in Ethical Dilemmas
- Key concepts: Consent, Capacity, Disclosure, Voluntariness, Truth Telling, and Confidentiality
- NASW, IFSW, and BATSW Ethical Guidelines with special reference to social worker’s ethical responsibilities towards clients
- Tools for ethical decision making in social work
Essential readings
- Singer, P., & Viens, A. (2008). Bioethics. New York: Cambridge University Press (Pp. 11-50)
- Joseph, J, & Fernandes, G (2006) An Enquiry into Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work. Mumbai: College of Social Work, Nirmala Niketan
Reproduced from Regulations and Syllabus of Bachelor of Social Work Degree (2023), Amended 2026, published by the College of Social Work (Empowered Autonomous), Nirmala Niketan, which is affiliated to the University of Mumbai and sets this syllabus itself. Wording is as printed in that document.
The complete syllabus
This subject is cut from the college's own syllabus document. Open it here if you want the whole thing rather than a single subject.