Do Social Networking Sites have a place in modern social work?

Fiona HopkinStaffordshire County Council

Funke AdebareSandwell Metropolitan Borough

Council

Students based in adoption team for Staffordshire County Council

Leaflet for prospective and approved adoptive parents

Presentations to adoption and adoption support teams

Presentations to prospective and approved adoptive parents

Continued by adoption team

Previously…

Birmingham Practice Symposium 2011 Social networking and children’s social work

as a whole Further development of the project Stockholm International Social Work

Conference

Feature in Professional Social Work magazine

Previously …

Working party established Professional boundaries Universal UK policy Support the use of SNS

Now…

Free Controlled communication Mass market

900,000,000+ Facebook users 450,000,000 Facebook users access Facebook

on a mobile device 7,500,000 Facebook users under 13 years old 5,000,000 Facebook users under 10 years old

Social Networking Sites

Technological developments

Reactive vs. Proactive

Confidence as practitioners

Communicate to service users

But why???

Privacy and confidentiality

Professional boundaries

Social Networking Sites & Ethics

Support Advocacy Immediate help Empowering

Opportunities

Service users Vulnerable children and young people Isolation Contact

Social workers Disciplinary action Registration

Risks

Thank you.Fiona Hopkin

Staffordshire County Councilfiona.hopkin@staffordshire.gov.uk

Funke AdebareSandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

funke_adebare@sandwell.gov.uk