de Haan, IHyslop, ITupou, AE2019-06-182019http://hdl.handle.net/2292/47108Full Text is available to authenticated members of The University of Auckland only.In professional practice social workers have a responsibility to uphold ethical standards. This thesis is concerned with experiences of ethical challenge and the exercise of moral courage by statutory social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is informed by an adaptation of Frigga Haug's (1987) memory-work methodology conducted with a group of seven statutory social workers currently practicing for the Ministry for Children, Oranga Tamariki. The study explores participants' ethically conflicted experiences: how they acted with moral courage in response to those circumstances and the current organisational support systems that exist in this context. Additionally, this project contributes to addressing the relative paucity of literature that is informed by the lens of direct social work practice experience. This thesis provides a brief overview of the literature in relation to moral courage and its relevance to social work and related professions. It reports on a qualitative study in which seven social workers participated in a memory-work session. By using a reflective approach, all participants identified a memory of a time in their practice when they were ethically conflicted and had tried to address resultant challenges by raising their concerns regardless of the potential consequences. The memory-work group data revealed common experiences of a lack of support for those who speak out, poor working conditions, retaliation from colleagues and inadequate professional supervision. There were both personal and professional impacts suffered by participants in this study, some of which are ongoing. The thesis identifies issues for consideration regarding the education, employment, support and supervision of social workers.Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated. Previously published items are made available in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.Restricted Item. Full Text is available to authenticated members of The University of Auckland only.https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htmhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/nz/ThesisCopyright: The authorQ112950633