Supporting students to use social media and comply with professional standards

Cartwright, Luke

Abstract

Student social workers live in a world where sharing of information seems to be straightforward and unproblematic. However, data sharing is a contentious issue in practice that raises ethical issues. There is a focus on this aspect of practice in social work education particularly in the context of data storage, confidentiality and multi-disciplinary work. There have been examples of qualified workers being sanctioned by the Health Care Professions Council for breaching professional standards related to inappropriate use of social media. Understanding the advantages and potential pitfalls of social media is crucial for social workers. The aim of this research was to develop an understanding about how student social workers use social media during their time at university as a tool for continuing professional development whilst balancing the need to present a professional persona. This paper reports on four themes that emerged from a study that considered social media and social work training: Changing/securing profiles; using social media to support learning and development; university support; replicating earlier behaviour in the professional setting. The findings suggest student social workers are ambivalent about the use of social media both during training and as a way to support ongoing development beyond the university setting.  

Citation

Cartwright, L. (2017). Supporting students to use social media and comply with professional standards. Social Work Education, 36(8), 880-892. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2017.1372409

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 21, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Sep 10, 2017
• Publication Date: Nov 17, 2017
• Deposit Date: Aug 23, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 11, 2018
• Journal: Social work education
• Print ISSN: 0261-5479
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 8
• Pages: 880-892
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2017.1372409
• Keywords: Social media; Professionalism; Social work training; Support
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/454261
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02615479.2017.1372409
• Additional Information: This is the accepted manuscript of an article published in Social work education, 2017. The version of record is available at the DOI link in this record.
• Contract Date: Aug 23, 2017