An Ethics Framework Embedded in an Indigenous Epistemology: Implications for Social Work Research and Practice

The ethics of human engagement is not an isolated Western concern. Indigenous peoples across the globe have for millennia developed and practiced complex and sophisticated ethics that abide by respect, mutuality, and an honouring of human and non-human interconnection. Quite distinct to conventional Western ethics frameworks, developed out of an obligation to protect and respect human dignity particularly to protect the most vulnerable, Indigenous ethics is embedded in an Indigenous epistemology. This epistemology assumes Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous leadership, relationships of mutual benefit, of mutual accountability where kinship, nature, and reciprocity are keystones. In this chapter, we focus on three foundational truths of the Indigenous worldview that are also found in the yet to be released AIATSIS Code of Ethics – Relational Accountability, Connection to Culture, and Sovereignty. These three truths are explained as three guiding principles of an ethics framework embedded in an Indigenous epistemology. We examine the implications of this framework on social work practice and social work research. Drawing vital conclusions on decolonising approaches to social work practice and social work research that redefine what respectful social work is with Indigenous peoples.