Ethics and Social Welfare

Aims & Scope

Ethics and Social Welfare publishes articles of a critical and reflective nature concerned with the ethical issues surrounding social welfare practice and policy.

It has a particular focus on social work (including practice with individuals, families and small groups), social care, youth and community work and related professions.

The aim of the journal is to encourage dialogue and debate across social, intercultural and international boundaries on the serious ethical issues relating to professional interventions into social life.

Through this we hope to contribute towards deepening understandings and further ethical practice in the field of social welfare.

The journal welcomes material in a variety of formats, including high quality peer-reviewed academic papers, reflections, debates and commentaries on policy and practice, book reviews and review articles.

We actively encourage a diverse range of contributions from academic and field practitioners, voluntary workers, service users, carers and people bringing the perspectives of oppressed groups.

Contributions might include reports on research studies on the influence of values and ethics in social welfare practice, education and organisational structures, theoretical papers discussing the evolution of social welfare values and ethics, linked to contemporary philosophical, social and ethical thought, accounts of ethical issues, problems and dilemmas in practice, and reflections on the ethics and values of policy and organisational development.

The journal aims for the highest standards in its published material.

All material submitted to the journal is subject to a process of assessment and evaluation through the Editors and through peer review.

View Aims & Scope

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Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	0.9
2024	0.70

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.404

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

h-index

Year	Value
2024	19

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	13688

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	122

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Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

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Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

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Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• Creating Caring Institutions: Politics, Plurality, and Purpose

  Citation: 380

  Authors: Joan C.

• ‘Vulnerability’: Handle with Care

  Citation: 158

  Authors: Kate

• Everyday ethics in professional life: social work as ethics work

  Citation: 143

  Authors: Sarah

• A Toolkit for Ethical and Culturally Sensitive Research: An Application with Indigenous Communities

  Citation: 111

  Authors: Catherine E., Sara, Howard K., Jacki T.

• Compassion Fatigue: The Experience of Nurses

  Citation: 93

  Authors: Wendy, Erika, Brendan, Paul

• Gender Justice and Rights in Climate Change Adaptation: Opportunities and Pitfalls

  Citation: 87

  Authors: Petra, Mario

• The Individual in Social Care: The Ethics of Care and the ‘Personalisation Agenda’ in Services for Older People in England

  Citation: 80

  Authors: Liz

• Abandoning Care? A Critical Perspective on Personalisation from an Ethic of Care

  Citation: 70

  Authors: Marian

• Empowerment, Citizenship and Gender Justice: A Contribution to Locally Grounded Theories of Change in Women's Lives

  Citation: 65

  Authors: Naila

• Practising Ethically in Unethical Times: Everyday Resistance in Social Work

  Citation: 56

  Authors: Merlinda, Sarah

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