There’s no such thing as online privacy for social workers

Social workers have been advised to think carefully about how they use social media and warned that ultimately their privacy cannot be guaranteed.

In a Social Work England webinar for Social Work Week entitled ‘Think Before You Post’, social work team manager Sha Lee said the abundance of social media platforms and the different ways in which they operate made using social media a minefield. 

Sha said: “It is important you understand what you are using.

“You have a responsibility as a professional to make sure you are okay with the social media you are working with.”

Crucially, she warned, privacy settings did not offer a guarantee of anonymity and are also subject to change without the poster being aware. 

“Privacy online means absolutely nothing,” said Lee.

“You may be someone who has their privacy settings very high but Facebook can change it.”

One participant in the session highlighted the ease with which posts can be screenshot and shared widely, irrespective of privacy settings. 

She said: “If someone screenshots something then the privacy is gone - it can be shared with so many people.” 

Lee also warned that what people think might be private is not something they necessarily have control over.

Social workers were urged to research information that might be freely available about them online and look at ways of having it removed. For example, it is possible to contact 192 and request to have a digital footprint removed.  

Lee urged social workers to ask, “What is out there and can I do anything about the amount of information that is out there?”. 

A cautionary case study highlighted in the webinar involved a social worker who was struck off because of inappropriate social media contact with a woman he had supported from between the age of 11 and 15. 

Even though the woman had made contact with the social worker via social media, she remained a vulnerable adult. 

A tribunal heard that the social worker had referred to the woman as “sweetie” and “a real stunner” and that she had sent him drawings of herself in tears and video footage of herself. 

Other case studies highlighted how easy it can be for people to make ill-judged posts on social media that cost them their jobs.

Examples from the wider professional world included the UK’s first youth police and crime commissioner Paris Brown and PR executive Justine Sacco, both sacked over offensive posts. Also highlighted was social worker Siobhan London who was reprimanded for social media posts regarding a court case involving domestic violence, even though they were general rather than specific.