ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses approaches to ethical decision-making while using social media in social work practice and addresses considerations such as professional presentation of self, managing boundaries and protecting client privacy. Professional boundaries in social work demand relationships in which the social worker recognizes the power they hold over another and where the social worker maintains personal boundaries with those they serve. Client privacy issues on social media are multifaceted. An ethical dilemma is present when multiple professional ethical imperatives lead to conflicting guidance. For any practicing social worker, maintaining competent skills and knowledge over one’s professional career is an ethical obligation. Social work educators have the dual role of teaching students and practicing professionals about the effects of social media on social work practice while also engaging in their own ethical use of social media. Organizations, like individual social workers, experience a variety of benefits when they utilize social media.
