Issue 13
Core Knowledge and Skill Competencies:
Ethics, Values and Legislation
Knowledge and skill competencies will tell you what is required of social workers in
order to deliver on their Key Responsibility Areas (KRAs).
The NSWCF has identified 3 core knowledge and skill competencies required of social
workers within Direct Practice. The first one is Ethics, Values and Legislation.
The 4 proficiency levels for this are:
Foundational
• Knowledge and application of:
- Professional values and ethics
- Legislations
• Ability to apply policies, legislations and
conventions to direct practice
• Ability to understand and apply ethical
decision-making process/ model in social
work
Intermediate
• Knowledge of:
- Principles and reason underlying ethics/
legislation (moral and ethical)
- Principles underpinning ethical/ decision-
making
• Knowledge in hierarchy of principles to
guide the resolution of ethical dilemmas
Advanced
• Knowledge and skills to appraise and
manage personal and professional
boundaries in situations that call for ethical
reasoning/ decisions
• Ability to analyse cases and provide
expert advice/ opinion in a multi-
disciplinary team, in court or Board of
Inquiry (BOI)
Expert
Produced by the Office of the Director of Social
Welfare | Sep 2017
Source: National Social Work Competency
Framework, p. 56 & 57
Find out more: http://www.ssi.sg/nswcf
• Knowledge and understanding of the
social landscape to contribute and
influence legislation and policies
• Ability to critically analyse the
philosophical underpinnings in situations
of ethical dilemmas