Ethics Social work is bound by ethical codes that are developed within the profession, as well as legal codes that are developed external to, but in conjunction with, the professional body. The National Association of Social Workers maintains a code of ethics, which was originally approved in 1996, and revised in 2008. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics is "intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers," (National Association of Social Workers, n.d.). The code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers includes a preamble, in which the mission and values of the profession are carefully outlined. This outline of the mission and values of the National Association of Social Workers helps to provide the philosophical underpinning of the ethical codes that follow. The mission and values of the National Association of Social Workers also inform daily practice and organizational policies. These policies can sometimes conflict with the prevailing law developed independently of professional organizations like the National Association of Social Workers.

International bodies of social work professionals also have codes of ethics that can guide professional practice and public policy. The International Association of Schools of Social Work provides a code of ethics in conjunction with the International Federation of Social Workers and the International Association of Schools of Social Work. Just as the National Association of Social Workers provides a philosophical groundwork for the discussion of professional ethics, the International Association of Schools of Social Work also provides a theoretical framework that shows where ethical codes develop, and how they evolve from the most basic tenets, missions, and goals of the profession. There are several international conventions determining universal codes of ethics. These codes of ethics transcend law, and are...

The ethics impacting social work on a global basis are made manifest in such documents as the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention (International Association of Schools of Social Work, 2004). These documents in turn help form an evolving definition of ethics within the context of the social work profession.
The law and social work ethics usually agree on core values and fundamentals of practice. However, there are times where the law and social work ethical codes are in direct conflict with one another. This has especially become an issue with regards to undocumented immigrants to the United States. One state, for example, recently "issued an executive order prohibiting state-funded agencies from providing health and social services to undocumented immigrants," (Reamer, 2008). Legal issues also arise in cases where law enforcement access to information comes into conflict with social worker privacy and confidentiality agreements with clients. There are also legal and ethical conundrums that arise with regards to minors in social work care. As Reamer (2008) puts it, "When parents of a minor client ask a social worker for details about their child's counseling sessions, social workers must consider legal guidelines concerning minors' right to privacy and parents' right to know about confidential healthcare services provided to their child."

There are several categories of law that apply to the realm of social work. Those categories…