-(2).jpg "CenterForDiversity_logo_V2_RGB300_(WEB)-(2).jpg"){kind=logo}
EPAS Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
The CSWE Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice is proud to announce a new initiative that will highlight one key 2022 Educational Policies and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) competency each month. This ongoing commitment aims to foster a deeper understanding and application of social work competencies in a way that supports social justice and equity across all areas of social work practice. We are especially pleased that the 2022 EPAS articulate a clear commitment of social work education to principles of anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion.
During the month of March 2025, our professional celebrates Social Work Month! This month, the Center for Diversity and Social & Economic Justice spotlight 2022 EPAS Competency 1: Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior.
Some of us chose the profession of social work, for others, the profession chose you. Regardless of your journey into the profession, there is a deep sense of pride with which one identifies as a social worker. Since the formal development of our profession in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, we have been at the forefront of serving our clients, constituents and communities, even if our actual role, function, and even title, were not fully understood nor acknowledged.
This competency brings us face to face with who we are as social workers, with how we conduct ourselves, guided by both the core values of the profession and our professional code of ethics. Social workers are often first responders, meeting clients, constituents and communities where they are, and applying our knowledge, skills and values to address their needs. As society has evolved, so too has the profession, ready to address complex challenges at the individual, group, family, and community levels.
We highlight this competency during Social Work Month to reflect on our own practice and how we define professionalism and ethics in our profession. This, reflect to yourself or with a peer, colleague, or friend:
- How have the parameters of professional behavior changed over time, such as appearance, and even our oral, written, and electronic communication?
- What does ethical and appropriate use of technology look like to facilitate practice outcomes?
- How does cultural competence shape your understanding of professionalism and boundaries within practice?
CSWE asked its members to contribute literature, blogs, or other resource related to EPAS competencies. This month we highlight the following resources related to Competency 1:
The article, Reconceptualizing Culture in Social Work Practice and Education: A Dialectic and Uniqueness Awareness Approach (Alvarez-Hernandez & Choi, 2017) examines the definitions and implementations of the concepts of culture and cultural competence in social work education and practice. We take a look at the history and evolution of diversity and cultural competence in the social work curriculum. This article also identifies four theories and models of cultural competence taught in social work education, and the strengths and limitations of each theory and model are discussed. A new approach to cultural competence, the Dialectic and Uniqueness Awareness Approach, considers the triadic relationship between the social worker, the client, and the interaction of both with a multiplicity of systems and experiences. Finally, the five main principles of this approach are discussed using a case example.