How to Write about the NASW Code of Ethics in the MSW Statement of Purpose
Introduction
If you are applying to an MSW program, you may find that the personal statement has a prompt asking about ethics, or even the NASW Code of Ethics specifically. These can be tricky to answer, especially for applicants who don’t have a BSW and may have never even heard of the Code of Ethics before.
In this post, I’ll break down what the Code of Ethics is, give a quick summary of each of the core values (more on this later!), and highlight some common prompts and how you might answer them. Lastly, I’m addressing common pitfalls when answering these prompts, as well as some FAQs.
What is the NASW Code of Ethics?
As the NASW explains, the Code of Ethics “is a set of standards that guide the professional conduct of social workers.” Because social work is a registered profession in the United States, all social workers are required to abide by the NASW Code of Ethics, which helps to ensure that the field is consistent in what it offers, even when people are practicing all over the country.
Six Core Values of Social Work, Explained (NASW Core Values)
To put it simply, the NASW Code of Ethics highlights 6 “core values”, which they explain are the foundation of the profession. In some ways, social work’s values are what set the field apart from other similar helping professions, like counselling, healthcare work, or even policy work.
The Code of Ethics is composed of six core values, which are the heart of the profession’s perspective and how social workers approach professional practice. While you don’t need to memorize the whole Code of Ethics as a social worker, it is important to be familiar with it. Understanding it can help guide decision-making, especially when navigating ethical dilemmas or other tricky situations as a professional, which is why some schools ask about it in the MSW application.
Here is a brief overview of each of the NASW core values. For more information on this, you can review the Code of Ethics directly (which I recommend!)
Service
Simply put, service is important in social work because a main element of the profession is helping people in need, whatever that looks like. As the NASW explains, social workers prioritize service over their own self-interests and use their knowledge and skills to help people and address social issues.
Social Justice
Social justice is part of what sets social workers apart from other helping professions. At the heart of the field, social workers should pursue social change, especially in collaboration with vulnerable or marginalized individuals and groups.
Dignity and Worth of the Person
This value highlights that social workers treat every person with respect and care, and are to be mindful of individual differences, especially in the context of cultural or ethnic diversity. This also means that social workers respect clients’ self-determination and work to empower clients to change and address their own needs.
Importance of Human Relationships
In social work and other helping professions, the helping relationship between the client and the professional can be an important element of facilitating change. This value emphasizes that social workers engage as a partner in the helping process with clients and use relationships to support individuals, families, social groups, and communities.
Integrity
Social workers need to act in a trustworthy way, both with clients and interprofessionally. Acting with integrity includes being responsible and promoting ethical practice within the organizations with which they are affiliated.
Competence
Competence emphasizes that social workers practice within their area of expertise and continually strive to enhance their professional knowledge and skillset.
MSW Personal Statement Ethics Prompt Examples
There are a number of ways that the NASW Code of Ethics may be incorporated within the MSW statement of purpose and related prompts. Some schools ask about a specific value from the Code of Ethics, while others ask about the Code of Ethics more generally. In this section, I’ll break down a few examples of real prompts and how I would suggest responding to them.
Example #1 - University of Maryland
Prompt example, University of Maryland: One of the core principles in the Social Work Code of Ethics is honoring the dignity and worth of every person. Describe an experience where you engaged with someone whose life experience was unfamiliar to you. How did you honor the dignity and worth of that person to ensure that they felt respected? What challenges did you encounter, if any, and what did you learn from the experience?
How to answer: When responding to this prompt, I would suggest reflecting on an example from your professional or personal life that aligns with this prompt. Perhaps you have worked in a coffee shop where homeless people were frequent clients, or you had experience as a childcare worker and worked with a family whose background differed from yours.
In your statement, I would briefly explain the example (typically a few sentences is enough), and then highlight how you navigated this experience. Incorporating the NASW Code of Ethics in this prompt is a bit more straightforward because they give you a specific value to discuss in the prompt. Given this, I would be sure to clearly explain how this experience relates to the value of dignity and worth of the person (again, 1-2 sentences is probably enough here). Then, you could consider expanding this further and explaining how this experience would shape your approach as an MSW student and social worker in the future.
Example #2 - Florida State University
Prompt Example, Florida State University: As outlined in the NASW Code of Ethics, there are 6 core values that distinguish social work from other helping professions. Discuss what two of these values mean to you and how they draw you to the profession.
How to answer: To respond to this prompt, I would suggest reflecting on your relevant personal and professional experience as a starting point, as it can be helpful to use an example or two to illustrate your alignment with these values and the profession as a whole! There is no right or wrong answer on which values are best to incorporate in the statement; the important thing is that you are able to discuss them in a meaningful way and demonstrate how your perspective and experiences align with them.
As an example, perhaps you are someone changing careers from a role in something business-related. In this case, you might choose to discuss values like the importance of human relationships and integrity. You might speak to an example of a time where you had built a strong relationship with a client that led to a positive outcome during a challenging situation. Then, you could explain how you demonstrated these values in relation to this situation, and highlight that your values as a professional align with those of the field.
Example #3 - University of Michigan
Prompt Example, University of Michigan: The School of Social Work’s Mission & Vision and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics are intended to serve as a guide and expectation to promote ethical social work practice. After reviewing the School of Social Work’s Mission & Vision and the NASW Code of Ethics, describe the specific steps you will take to improve the lives of people and communities.
How to answer: In this case, this prompt is asking applicants to reflect on both the values of the program as well as the profession. While the other prompt examples discussed above lend themselves to highlighting your past experience, in this case, I would recommend exploring your future goals in the field and how they align with these values. This is because this specific prompt is more focused on how you will practice as a social worker in the future. That said, it may still make sense to include a brief example from your experience in an answer like this to help illustrate your alignment with these values!
For this prompt, maybe your future goal is to be a clinical social worker supporting the LGBTQ+ community. In this case, I would clarify your specific goal and what it looks like, then tie this into the values of the program and the field as a whole. For instance, in this case, it might make sense to clearly explain the link between this goal and the social work value of dignity and worth of a person, as you are planning to engage in a professional role that includes working with diverse populations.
Looking for more support with incorporating ethics into your personal statement? We have a whole post on the topic that you can check out for more details!
Common Pitfalls When Answering Ethics Questions in the MSW Personal Statement
Writing about the Code of Ethics in your MSW personal statement can be tricky – here are some of the common mistakes I see applicants making in personal statements and how to avoid them.
Sounding generic
Often, applicants will try to list every single NASW value in the personal statement, thinking that this will show the reader that they are familiar with the whole Code of Ethics. In reality, while this might show that you’ve read it, this doesn’t show that you understand the values.
Fix: Instead, I would suggest choosing 1-3 values that are related to your experience and writing about them in more depth. This shows the reader your critical thinking skills and allows you to dive a lot deeper into how these values relate to your background and your goals for the future!
2. Quoting the code of ethics
Similar to listing all the values, quoting directly doesn’t actually show the reader that you absorbed anything from the Code of Ethics – it just shows that you’ve looked at them.
Fix: To avoid this, I recommend avoiding including definitions for the values themselves. Instead you can paraphrase them into your own words and explain how they relate to your experience. This way, you are able to use your answer to highlight your unique background as an applicant and show how your experience aligns with the field!
3. Sharing personal stories without tying back to the code of ethics
While personal stories can sometimes be a key aspect of what motivated you to pursue social work, applicants will often share personal details without explaining why they are relevant to the MSW application.
Fix: When including personal details, it’s important to share them while also giving context to how they have shaped your experience or application. For example, if someone had a personal experience navigating a health issue, instead of sharing this with no context, they could tie this into how it motivated them to pursue social work, and how it relates to social work ethics (in this case, maybe service and human relationships stood out to them). This helps make sure you avoid “trauma dumping” in your application, and ensures self-disclosure still feels appropriate and intentional.
FAQs – NASW Code of Ethics and MSW Personal Statement
Q: Should I reference the NASW Code of Ethics in my personal statement?
A: The answer depends on the prompts that the school has asked. If the program you are applying to has a prompt specifically about ethics or the NASW Code of Ethics, I would strongly recommend at least mentioning the Code of Ethics in your personal statement to show the admissions committee that you are familiar with it. If your school’s prompts don’t explicitly ask about ethics, you may not need to include a mention of the Code of Ethics, but it can still be helpful to respond to other prompts, like why you are motivated to pursue a career in the field of social work.
Q: Which social work values should I mention in my statement of purpose?
A: This is totally up to you and what makes sense with your experience! Depending on what your personal and professional background includes, it might make sense to highlight some values more than others. For example, someone who has been working in healthcare might want to mention the values of service, or dignity and worth of a person, whereas someone with an interest in policy and advocacy might prefer to emphasize social justice and integrity. There really is no wrong answer here – all of the values are important in their own way, so whatever seems to align with your background and experience should work well!
Q: Should I talk about every NASW value in my MSW statement of purpose?
A: Typically, I would not recommend talking about every single value in your MSW personal statement. While they are all important, trying to speak to each one in your statement makes it difficult to provide detail on any of them and how they align with your experience and goals. Instead, I recommend choosing anywhere from 1-3 core values, depending on the length of the statement of purpose that you are writing. In most cases, 2 is a good number to allow you to show an understanding of the Code of Ethics and get into enough detail to show your critical thinking skills.
Q: How do I write about social work values with no experience?
A: While this can feel daunting, I would recommend reflecting on your professional (or personal) experience, even if it doesn’t seem related to social work on the surface. When thinking about your experience, I suggest considering the insights you have gained through that role and how it can relate to the field. For example, someone who has experience working in a coffee shop could speak to values like service, competence, and even human relationships, depending on the role. If you’re concerned about applying to your MSW with no experience, we also have a blog post breaking down how to get accepted to your MSW even with limited experience!
Conclusion
Although incorporating the NASW Code of Ethics into your personal statement may feel daunting at first, by becoming familiar with the core values and reflecting on your past experience, you will be able to incorporate the Code of Ethics in a way that is personalized and meaningful.
Still struggling with how to relate your experience to social work? Learn more about our 1:1 consults with an Application Advisor, where you can break down your experience and explore how to link it to the field.
