Ethical decision-making of social workers' associations: A case study of the Israeli Association of Social Workers' responses to whistle-blowing

This article presents a case of whistle-blowing by a field worker in Israel, in order to examine the ethical decision-making of the Israeli Association of Social Workers. This body initially punished the field worker for criticizing his colleagues' treatment of Israel's disadvantaged Misrachi ethnic group, but some 14 years later officially honored him for the same act. The analysis emphasizes the contingency of ethical decision-making and looks at some organizational, professional and political-cultural factors that affected the association's decisions.