Welcome to Ethics & Ethical Standards for Social Work England-Registered Social Workers (Ethics SWE)
Welcome to this course
This course covers the relational and ethical reasoning side of Social Work England’s Professional Standards: promoting people’s rights, strengths and wellbeing, establishing genuine trust and confidence, and acting with safety, respect and professional integrity. Our companion Professionalism course covers the standing-practice standards: accountability, continuing professional development, and promoting ethical practice through raising concerns.
Social Work England’s standards are written distinctively, in the first person: “As a social worker, I will…” This course keeps that same register throughout, since it reflects something genuine about how these standards are meant to be held, as a personal professional commitment, not just an external rule.
- Work in genuine partnership with people, recognising them as experts in their own lives
- Establish real trust and confidence, including genuine confidentiality and role clarity
- Recognise what safety, respect and professional integrity require, in and outside work
- Reason through genuine tensions between rights, risk, and protection
- Apply a structured method to genuine ethical dilemmas, worked through two complete cases
Who this is for
Any social worker registered with Social Work England, at any career stage, across children’s services, adult services, and every practice setting.
This course explains professional standards and the reasoning behind them. It is not legal advice and does not replace representation. If a concern has been raised about your registration, speak to your defence organisation or professional body before you act. This course discusses safeguarding and risk in general, professional terms; it does not include graphic case detail.
Structure How this course is organised +
Five modules, four knowledge checks, and a final 15-question assessment. Score 80% to unlock your certificate.
- Module 1 — rights, strengths, wellbeing, and partnership
- Module 2 — trust and confidence, confidentiality, and role clarity
- Module 3 — safety, respect, and professional integrity
- Module 4 — genuine ethical reasoning when rights and risk pull apart
- Module 5 — a structured method applied to two complete worked cases
Around 2.5 hours in total, worth 2.5 CPD hours.
Pairs with Professionalism & Professional Standards for Social Work England-Registered Social Workers +
These two courses are designed as a pair, covering Social Work England’s six Professional Standards between them, without duplicating each other.
