Social workers make judgments based on their values (McCormick and Fraser, 2011) which may conflict with those of other people. Ethical practice is the way social workers express their values; ethical debate is the way they make decisions when different rights and responsibilities have to be reconciled (Dawson and Butler, 2003; Hugman, 2013). The balancing of needs, rights, risks and responsibilities is often complex; social workers in England working with adults, implementing the Care Act 2015, are likely to find it brings new challenges in this area