Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- A Note from the Editors to the Reader
- Notes on Contributors
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Digital Professionalism and Social Media Ethics
- 3 Social Media and Social Work with Children and Young People and Looked After Children
- 4 Social Media and Adult Social Work
- 5 Social Media and Mental Health Social Work
- 6 Social Media and Youth Justice: Challenges and Possibilities for Practice
- 7 Social Media and ‘Communities of Practice’ and ‘Communities of Interest’
- 8 Social Media and Social Work Regulation
- 9 Future Technology and Social Work and sOcial Care Practice and education
- Index
8 - Social Media and Social Work Regulation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 March 2021
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures and Tables
- A Note from the Editors to the Reader
- Notes on Contributors
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Digital Professionalism and Social Media Ethics
- 3 Social Media and Social Work with Children and Young People and Looked After Children
- 4 Social Media and Adult Social Work
- 5 Social Media and Mental Health Social Work
- 6 Social Media and Youth Justice: Challenges and Possibilities for Practice
- 7 Social Media and ‘Communities of Practice’ and ‘Communities of Interest’
- 8 Social Media and Social Work Regulation
- 9 Future Technology and Social Work and sOcial Care Practice and education
- Index
Summary
Introduction
The effective regulation of professionalism and digital practice in an increasingly mediated world, one dominated by a rapidly changing socio-technological, cultural and practice landscape, presents significant and evolving challenges and opportunities spanning from frontline practice to strategic management of services and from education to employment and regulation of social work. However, the notion of digital practice in social work is relatively new; indeed, it was only in 2012 when for the first time in social work, Megele (2012) used and defined the terms e-professionalism and digital professionalism in social work and social care. Eight years may not seem very long, but in social media terms it represents a relatively long time, with significant changes in technology over that period. In December 2012, a working group from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) produced BASW's first social media policy with the following purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to clarify what BASW considers to be the professional responsibilities of social workers and social work students, in relation to the increasing use of social media. As a professional body across the UK, BASW has developed a policy to support members to use social media appropriately and ensure practice is based on the BASW Code of Ethics. (BASW, 2012a)
This was an important step at the time and already within that policy BASW recognised the importance of e-professionalism and digital professionalism in social work:
One of the key messages to emerge from developing the policy is the need for all social workers to be ‘e-professionals’, a term used particularly by one of our group, Claudia Megele. It involves the ability to understand and use social media, as well as how to develop and manage it for networking, communication, CPD and developing inclusive practice. (BASW, 2012b)
Since then, there have been significant changes in technology, society and social work practice and subsequently the authors (Megele with Buzzi, 2017; Megele, 2014, 2018) and a number of other authors have written about e-professionalism and digital professionalism, while both practitioners and regulators have faced new and changing practical and ethical decisions and challenges in relation to digital practice and safeguarding of people who access social work services.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Social Media and Social WorkImplications and Opportunities for Practice, pp. 177 - 206Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2020