How To Talk About Ethics In Your Master of Social Work (MSW) Personal Statement

The Code of Ethics And Your Personal Statement

Many schools of social work ask about ethics in the Master of Social Work (MSW) personal statement. I often find that applicants aren’t sure how to answer the question and end up tossing in a few sentences that can feel clunky and awkward, and stick out like a sore thumb in an otherwise well-written personal statement. 

There are a couple of ways you can answer questions about ethics. Admissions committees are looking for applicants to demonstrate critical thinking skills and an understanding of social work ethics. 

Kay takeaways:

• Start by reviewing the Code of Ethics

• Reflect on situations where you experienced an ethical dilemma.

• Get specific with examples from client work. If you do not have relevant client experience think about times where you disagreed with a policy or superior in your current industry.

• Ask yourself: How did you feel? What ethical dilemmas came up? How did you respond? How was the situation resolved? Is there anything you would have done differently? How will this experience inform your future social work practice?

Review the Code of Ethics

First, make sure you research the code of ethics used by the social work profession in your geographic area and make sure you understand what they are. In the USA, you’ll need the NASW Code of Ethics. In Canada, you’ll need the CASW Code of Ethics. 

CORE SOCIAL WORK VALUES AND PRINCIPLES (CASW Code of Ethics, 2005)

• Value 1: Respect for the Inherent Dignity and Worth of Persons 

• Value 2: Pursuit of Social Justice

• Value 3: Service to Humanity

• Value 4: Integrity in Professional Practice

• Value 5: Confidentiality in Professional Practice

• Value 6: Competence in Professional Practice

So, how should you integrate the Code of Ethics in your personal statement? Here are 3 strategies:

Strategy 1: Discuss Ethical Dilemmas

It might be appropriate to discuss an ethical dilemma you have faced (if you have practice experience) and reference the above values, as well as how you resolved the issue. 

Example Of An Ethical Dilemma: Client Self-Determination vs. Doing No Harm

While working as a case manager, an employee worked with a client who wanted to move out of their supportive-housing unit into a privately owned unit. This client benefitted from the support they received from their current housing provider and worried that if they moved to the private sector they might face additional challenges. At the same time, the case-manager understands that their client has a right to make their own decisions and autonomy over their life. This created a clash between the client’s right to self-determination and what was in their best interest.

When discussing this example in their personal statement, the applicant should discuss the situation, how they felt, the decision they made, whether they would have done anything differently, and how this experience will inform their future social work practice.

 Strategy 2: Disagreements With Superiors

If you have no direct client experience, you may have still experienced situations that you had to navigate that demonstrate your alignment with social work values and ethics.

Examples Of Disagreements With Superiors:

• A sales representative for a corporation felt pressure from their company to meet certain sales targets, and failure to meet targets could lead to reprimands from the company. The sales representative often felt that they were pressured to make a sale even if it wasn’t actually the best thing for the client.

• After experiencing an incident with a customer who was experiencing a mental health crisis, a coffee shop began locking their bathrooms in an attempt to prevent people who are houseless from coming to their coffee shop. The barista who worked in the evenings was tasked with mitigating bathroom usage as per management’s request. The barista was very uncomfortable with this because they felt that people had the right to use the bathroom, especially if they did not have access to their own bathroom.

In both of these examples, the applicant should expand on how they navigated the situation, and how this experience has informed their approach to pursue social work.

 Strategy 3: Value Alignment

Another way to approach this response is to discuss how the values of the profession align with your personal values.

For example, maybe you have a history of advocating for social justice, which you have demonstrated with your experience doing X, which aligns with value 2: the pursuit of social justice in the Code of Ethics.  

Demonstrate Critical Thinking Skills In Your Personal Statement

How you answer the question about ethics is going to depend largely on what the school is specifically asking for, as well as what makes sense based on your personal background. The most important thing is that you show the admissions committee that you have the critical thinking skills needed to face and resolve ethical dilemmas as a social worker. When answering this prompt make sure you show the admissions committees through the use of examples, and connect your example to how this experience will inform your practice as a social worker.

Check out our other posts on how to answer common personal statement prompts!

1. Tell Us About Your Motivations for Becoming a Social Worker

2. Tell Us About a Social Justice Issue (Coming soon)

3. Experiences With Diversity, Self-Reflection, and Antiracist Practice (coming soon)

4. What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?  

5. Why Are You Interested In Our MSW Program?

6. How Will You Meet the Demands of Graduate School?

Looking for personal statement help?

Our team of Application Advisors at MSW Helper specialize in helping Master of Social Work applicants write strong personal statements for their MSW application. Learn more about personal statement editing or attend a free webinar for MSW applicants.