New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 16 - OCCUPATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING
Chapter 63 - SOCIAL WORKERS
Part 16 - CODE OF CONDUCT
Section 16.63.16.12 - SOCIAL WORKERS' ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE SOCIAL WORK PROFESSION

(1) Social workers shall work toward the maintenance and promotion of high standards of practice.

(2) Social workers shall uphold and advance the values, ethics, knowledge, and mission of the profession. Social workers shall protect, enhance, and improve the integrity of the profession through appropriate study and research, active discussion, and responsible criticism of the profession.

(3) Social workers should contribute time and professional expertise to activities that promote respect for the value, integrity, and competence of the social work profession. These activities may include teaching, research, consultation, service, legislative testimony, presentations in the community, and participation in their professional organizations.

(4) Social workers should contribute to the knowledge base of social work and share with colleagues their knowledge related to practice, research, and ethics. Social workers should seek to contribute to the profession's literature and to share their knowledge at professional meetings and conferences.

(5) Social workers should act to prevent the unauthorized and unqualified practice of social work.

(1) Social workers should monitor and evaluate policies, the implementation of programs, and practice interventions.

(2) Social workers should promote and facilitate evaluation and research to contribute to the development of knowledge.

(3) Social workers should critically examine and keep current with emerging knowledge relevant to social work and fully use evaluation and research evidence in their professional practice.

(4) Social workers engaged in evaluation or research shall carefully consider possible consequences and shall follow guidelines developed for the protection of evaluation and research participants. Appropriate institutional review boards shall be consulted.

(5) Social workers engaged in evaluation or research shall obtain voluntary and written informed consent from participants, when appropriate, without any implied or actual deprivation or penalty for refusal to participate; without undue inducement to participate; and with due regard for participants' well-being, privacy, and dignity. Informed consent shall include information about the nature, extent, and duration of the participation requested and disclosure of the risks and benefits of participation in the research.

(6) When evaluation or research participants are incapable of giving informed consent, social workers shall provide an appropriate explanation to the participants, obtain the participants' assent to the extent they are able, and obtain written consent from an appropriate proxy.

(7) Social workers shall never design or conduct evaluation or research that does not use consent procedures, such as certain forms of naturalistic observation and archival research, unless rigorous and responsible review of the research has found it to be justified because of its prospective scientific, educational, or applied value and unless equally effective alternative procedures that do not involve waiver of consent are not feasible.

(8) Social workers shall inform participants of their right to withdraw from evaluation and research at any time without penalty.

(9) Social workers shall take appropriate steps to ensure that participants in evaluation and research have access to appropriate supportive services.

(10) Social workers engaged in evaluation or research shall protect participants from unwarranted physical or mental distress, harm, danger, or deprivation.

(11) Social workers engaged in the evaluation of services shall discuss collected information only for professional purposes and only with people professionally concerned with this information.

(12) Social workers engaged in evaluation or research shall ensure the anonymity or confidentiality of participants and of the data obtained from them. Social workers shall inform participants of any limits of confidentiality, the measures that will be taken to ensure confidentiality, and when any records containing research data will be destroyed.

(13) Social workers who report evaluation and research results shall protect participants' confidentiality by omitting identifying information unless proper consent has been obtained authorizing disclosure.

(14) Social workers shall report evaluation and research findings accurately. They shall not fabricate or falsify results and shall take steps to correct any errors later found in published data using standard publication methods.

(15) Social workers engaged in evaluation or research shall be alert to and avoid conflicts of interest and dual relationships with participants, shall inform participants when a real or potential conflict of interest arises, and shall take steps to resolve the issue in a manner that makes participants' interests primary.

(16) Social workers shall educate themselves, their students, and their colleagues about responsible research practices.