Effective social work practice is guided by knowledge, skills, and values. A value is a type of belief, centrally located in one’s total belief system, about how one ought, or ought not to behave, or about some end-state of existence worth or not worth attaining. The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living. Social workers who genuinely wish to do the right thing by their services users have no alternative but to constantly think and rethink the principles and assumptions that inform their actions. This book is a comprehensive introduction to this subject and will help students develop their understanding by showing social work students how ethics can have positive impact on the lives of vulnerable people.