Using codes of ethics for disabled children who communicate non-verbally - some challenges and implications for social workers

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Ethics and Social Welfare on 09/02/2018, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17496535.2018.1430159This article evaluates the use of professional codes of ethics by social workers specialising in work with disabled children who communicate non-verbally. It draws upon phenomenological interviews and other studies to highlight challenges faced by practitioners in a complex role which demands high-levels of skills and knowledge. Supporting other research, codes of ethics were rarely utilised by practitioners who typically maintain a vague appreciation while often compelled to focus upon pragmatic and quick responses to a complex role. Despite this, it is argued that principle-based frameworks embedded within codes of ethics carry important political implications. These include the potential to strengthen existing utilitarian and bioethical discourses embedded in policy or dominant professional narratives, and which can at times marginalise or exclude disabled children