The Ethical Foundations of Social Work provides an engaging, theoretically rigorous and practice-based grounding in social work ethics. The authors examine when, how and why principles and debates historically emerged, and then explicitly map them onto everyday ethical challenges and situations in social work practice. As such, the book promotes an ethically 'conscious' approach whereby principles can be applied flexibly and confidently as tools for critically responding to problems. Key features: * 'Real life' case studies illustrate contemporary ethical dilemmas and help explore the process of critically analysing a situation. * Demonstrates the relationship between ethical theory and practice. * Shows how contemporary Codes of Practice have emerged from debates. * Looks at how individuals and groups relate to each other as well as to social institutions. * Boxed material focuses on key issues and summary points, and further reading supports and extends the reader. The Ethical Foundations of Social Work is essential reading for social work students and practitioners looking for a thorough grounding in ethical issues and practice. It will also be of interest more widely in social care and the social sciences.