In 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic was declared. This changed the course of life and brought challenges in the field of existential, financial and psychosocial needs of the population – the very needs which social work deals with. Measures taken to contain the spread of the virus have influenced the way social workers do their work. The aim of this research is to explore ethical dilemmas, obstacles, and conflicts related to social work during the COVID-19 epidemic. I tried to research in which ways the practice of social work had changed, the challenges and ethical dilemmas faced by social workers, the support they received, whether they perceived human rights violations within their work, as well as what they had learned from the experience. I carried out a qualitative study with a handy and non-random sample of fourteen social workers. The results show that the social work as a profession has been experiencing many trials during the epidemic and that these problems are affecting the way the practice is being done. Some new practices have been developed that may be useful for the future. But there were many obstacles. There was clearly not enough support from the ministry in charge. Due to frequently changing decrees demanding changes in working methods, social workers were under constant stress. The consequences of some of the measures were causing ethical dilemmas in ranks of social workers. They began to question the extent to which blindly following the orders was actually beneficial for users of their services. They saw and realized the plight of users in face of inoperable social help in the country, as well as the human rights violations. But on the other hand, they discovered the secret power that community work and collective action in circumstances of necessity tend to bring out. The prevailing realization is that before taking decisions about measures and instructions for specific professions, decision-makers should consult with professional workers in the field.
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