It’s easy to focus only on how social workers should treat clients—but the Code of Ethics also sets clear expectations for how we treat each other. Section 2 of the Code addresses Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Colleagues. It begins with 2.01, which centers on professional respect, ethical communication, and collaboration across disciplines.
Upholding respect in peer relationships isn’t optional—it’s essential to ethical practice and to the quality of client care.
2.01 Respect
(a) Social workers should treat colleagues with respect and should represent accurately and fairly the qualifications, views, and obligations of colleagues.
(b) Social workers should avoid unwarranted negative criticism of colleagues in verbal, written, and electronic communications with clients or with other professionals. Unwarranted negative criticism may include demeaning comments that refer to colleagues’ level of competence or to individuals’ attributes such as race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability.
(c) Social workers should cooperate with social work colleagues and with colleagues of other professions when such cooperation serves the well-being of clients.
What It Means in Practice
Respecting colleagues is about more than being polite. This standard calls for:
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Fair representation: Accurately reflect others’ credentials, viewpoints, and professional roles.
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Avoiding harmful criticism: Never disparage a colleague unnecessarily—especially around clients or in documentation.
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Collaborating for the client’s good: Work across roles or disciplines when it supports client well-being.
Taken together, these expectations help create a professional culture rooted in trust, support, and shared responsibility.
Key Guidelines
(a) Treat colleagues fairly and accurately
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Don’t exaggerate or misstate another social worker’s qualifications.
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Give credit where it’s due.
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Disagree professionally—without distortion or misrepresentation.
(b) Avoid unwarranted criticism—especially identity-based
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Demeaning a colleague’s competence, identity, or character is unethical.
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Watch your language in emails, case notes, team meetings, and even casual comments.
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Be mindful of unconscious bias and maintain professionalism across all formats—including texts and Slack messages.
(c) Collaborate when it helps clients
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Interdisciplinary work is encouraged when it improves client outcomes.
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Don’t withhold cooperation due to personal conflict or professional rivalry.
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Be open to consultation and respectful shared problem-solving.
Practice Question
Here’s how 2.01 might look in an ASWB exam question:
A social worker is frustrated by a colleague’s decision to refer a mutual client to a different agency. During a session with the client, the social worker says, “I don’t know why they sent you there—that’s a terrible agency and I wouldn’t trust anything they recommend.” What is the most ethical response to this situation?
A. It’s acceptable, since the client deserves transparency about agency quality
B. It’s inappropriate, as it may harm the client’s trust in other professionals
C. It’s required to warn the client if the agency is known to be ineffective
D. It’s acceptable if the colleague’s judgment has been poor in the past
How to narrow it down:
A and C overstate the obligation to “warn” and overlook the ethical requirement to avoid unnecessary criticism. D allows personal bias to interfere with professional behavior. That leaves the correct answer: B. Even if concerns exist, social workers must avoid unwarranted negative comments—especially when those comments might damage the client’s confidence in their care team.
Ready to keep practicing ethical decision-making under real test conditions? SWTP’s full-length ASWB practice tests help you build skills and confidence with realistic questions like these.