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The Australian Code Of Ethics For Social Work

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The Australian Code of ethics for Social work AASW (2003), which replicates the highest international ethical standards, conditions a respectable social worker to exhibit ethical awareness in their field of work, whilst observing the standards of accountability (Hugman, Pittaway & Bartolomei 2011, p.1272). Social workers, indifferent to their type of service are encouraged to promote ethical values and standards. However, the shift to ethics in research involving human participation was particularly concerning especially after the insensitive research practices involving human subjects in Nazi Germany during the WW2. The abuses led to the establishment of the Nuremberg Code, which highlighted a number of key principles that continues to remain the foundation of any human research (Sherlock 2010, p.2). This essay will demonstrate the importance the importance of adhering to ethical principles in research process, especially around vulnerable groups in particular the refugees. Concentrating solely on the notion of self-determination due to the enormous selections of ethical principals, it hopes to develop the argument that ethical practices such as informed consent, confidentiality and protection from harm are crucial concepts that when disregarded and overlooked can cause a hazardous situation for the participants in the study (Walter, 2013).
Ethical principles such as informed consent are essential in social work research as many time practitioners will interact with

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