Technology’s Impact on SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE & SOCIAL WORK REGULATION

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Social Work Practice TECHNOLOGY IS ….. Transforming nature of sw practice Meaning of the sw-client relationship Creating new ethical challenges Requiring new and unprecedented practice standards Social Workers want to do it right! 3

Historic Collaboration: ASWB, CSWE, NASW, CSWA 6 Focus Areas  Provide information to the public  Design & Deliver Services to Clients:  Ind/Fams/Grps  Comm/Orgs/Admin/Policy  Communicate with and about Clients  Manage, Store and Access Information  Educate Social Workers 4

Key Ethical Issues Informed consent Privacy and confidentiality Boundaries, dual relationships and conflicts of interest Practitioner competence Records and documentation Collegial relationships (Reamer, 2015) 5

30 day public comment period Adoption by 4 Boards of Directors Published early fall

Social Work Regulations Technology offers…. Unprecedented opportunity to practice across jurisdictional boundaries Benefits to clients/practitioners, but also new ways to cause harm SW Profession needs to…. Ensure safe, competent, ethical practice of social workers using digital & other electronic technology 7

ASWB International Technology Task Force ( ) NASW & CSWE; Canadian partners; Ireland, New Zealand; Waleshttp:// Published March 2015; Available at 8

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Seven sections  Competence & Compliance with Standards  Informed Consent  Privacy and Confidentiality  Boundaries, Dual Relationships, Conflicts of Interest  Records & Documentation  Collegial Relationships  Electronic Practice Across Jurisdictions 10

Social Work Practice Mobility & License Portability ASWB Mobility Task Force (2015) ▫ Drivers of Change– E-Practice & On-line education; physical mobility of social workers; ACA mandated changes in Healthcare 11

Achieving Mobility Enhance practice mobility & license portability, while ensuring practice quality and client protection Model that makes sense for Social Work & is Good for Social Work 12

What about social work? Professional Issues/barriers to solve ▫ SW has categories of license, others do not ▫ Defining the practice of social work ▫ Who needs to be licensed…clinical, macro, masters, bachelors 13

What about social work? Regulatory Issues to solve ▫ Constitutional right to regulate the professions guaranteed to the states  Agreement on Standards for Education, Experience, Examination ▫ Which jurisdiction has authority, oversight & responsibility for licensee ▫ Complaints & investigations  Fees & costs  cross jurisdictional practice issues  Reporting to other jurisdictions 14

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Informed Consent Verification of client identity Capacity to consent (e.g., age, competence) Potential risks (e.g. confidentiality breach, emergency services, interruption of services, language, literacy) (Reamer, 2015) 16

Privacy and Confidentiality Privacy protection and encryption Adherence to relevant laws and regulations Conducting Google search Confidentiality agreements when conducting group treatment Exceptions to clients’ confidentiality rights (e.g., disclosures to protect clients from self harm, third parties, mandatory reporting, court orders) (Reamer, 2015) 17

Boundaries, Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest Social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn)  Current clients  Former clients  Former Facebook friend becomes client Social worker self-disclosure Social worker-client access  Time of day/night  Form of access, e.g., text message, Relationships with former clients Conflicts of interest, e.g., commercially sponsored video conferencing software with ads (Reamer, 2015) 18

Practitioner Competence Training (screening potential clients, assessment, interventions, encryption, documentation, termination of services) License (jurisdictional issues) Consultation and supervision Keeping up with research developments and evolving practice standards (Reamer, 2015) 19

Records and Documentation Encryption Access What and how to document ( , text, cybertherapy communications) Retention Disposal and destruction Relevant laws and regulations (Reamer, 2015) 20

Collegial Relationships Treating with respect Avoiding derogatory and defamatory postings Respecting colleagues’ privacy (e.g., Google searches) Respecting colleagues’ work products (plagiarism, unauthorized uploads) Responding to colleagues’ unethical conduct (e.g., inappropriate postings, cyberbullying) Avoiding cyberbullying, collegial harassment (Reamer, 2015) 21