Mount Royal University Social Work Program – Social Media Policy

Preamble

Students in the social work program, including in practicum, are considered to be practicing social work with the same obligations to the profession, staff and colleagues, practicum agencies and, particularly, to clients. The use of social media is common, but students need to understand and acknowledge that there are ethical limitations that must be honored.

It is impossible to cover all aspects of personal presence on social media. Be guided by the notion that your public presence is part of who you are as a social worker. If you have questions about this policy, please direct them to the Program Coordinator.

Students should review and be familiar with the Canadian Association of Social Workers policy on social media and social work practice which can be found at https://www.casw-acts.ca/files/policy_statements/social_media_use_and_social_work_practice.pdf. The CASW guidelines include the core social work values of:

• Respect for the inherent dignity and worth of persons
• Pursuit of social justice
• Service to humanity
• Integrity of professional practice
• Confidentiality of professional practice
• Competence of professional practice

Familiarity with The Alberta College of Social Workers Standards practice is also encouraged, and will assist in ensuring professional behavior https://acsw.in1touch.org/document/2672/DOC_FINALACSWStandardsOfPractice_V1_1_20200304.pdf.

Social media includes, but is not limited to, platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and dozens of other similar sites. It can also include messenger services such as FaceTime, Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp.

Your personal online presence is part of your professional presence, image and ethical behaviour. Content shared on social media enters the public forum and becomes a public record of events, circumstances and information about people, yourself and others.

When entering agency practice for practicum, take time to review and understand the policies and practices your agency has regarding the use of social media. You should engage in discussions with your supervisor around any restrictions that the university has with respect to social media use and explore any areas of concern. Your practicum instructor at MRU is a source of support and guidance.

MRU and practicum agencies are bound by Information and Privacy laws and Human Rights Legislation in Alberta. If in doubt about whether information can be shared, it is recommended to not share it until you have clarified that it is permissible to do so. For your purposes as a student, MRU standards and expectations apply even if something is permitted by the agency.

Guiding Principles

Privacy and Confidentiality

Client and colleague confidentiality must never be compromised and the posting of any information about a client on social media is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to:

a. Any names or potentially identifying information;
b. Photographs that may include a client, information about a client, including their physical location or a client’s involvement with an agency;
c. Reference to attending an event that may link to a client; and
d. Having photographs with you, taken by a client for possible publication on their social media.

Professional Boundaries

1. You may not friend a client on any social media platform. This includes the client’s family and friends.
2. You may not use social media to search for information about a client.
3. You may not enter into a social relationship with a client or former client including through social media.
4. It is vital to maintain professional boundaries with your online presence.
5. You must take steps to block your personal information such as your phone number if you are using personal communication devices for contact with clients. .
6. The privacy policies of agencies must also be respected. This may include such concerns as not posting locations, photos of interiors of facilities or other information that could compromise the privacy and security of clients.
7. Posting anything that you think is non-identifying data about an agency, colleague or client may have sufficient information to allow someone to figure out who you are speaking about. Case information should never be posted on social media.
8. Your colleagues also deserve to have their privacy protected. Remember that they too are connected to clients. Refrain from sharing any information about your colleagues via social media.
9. Avoid discussion of the behaviors of clients or colleagues in general or specifically.
10. Posting about student colleagues is also not permitted, and shows a lack of professionalism. What occurs in class, class assignments, course group work or other course related materials should not be shared via social media.
11. Sharing photographs or recordings of students or class activities are subject to requirements of formal consent, for which you do not have authority. Students have the right to anticipate privacy of their information when shared in class and course situations. Refrain from sharing any information about your students or class activities via social media.

Taking Proactive Steps

1. Ensure that your privacy settings on social media are such that it is unlikely that a client will be able to search and find your personal information.
2. Review your content in public forums to remove information that would compromise your position as a social worker.
3. Be cautious about what you post and share. As a social worker, you need to be careful about posting information via social media.

Breaches of Policy

Breaches of this policy will be brought to the attention of the Chair, Child Studies and Social Work. Students breaching these policies may be reported to the Office of Community Standards.

(Version – 2021/05/15)