A Changing Society | Social Work Ethics In

In the past, privacy meant a locked filing cabinet. Today, it means navigating a nightmare of group chats, telehealth glitches, and third-party apps. Consider the school social worker who asks a teenager about their weekend. The teen mentions a fight with a friend on Instagram. The social worker now has a choice: Do they look at the public story to verify the risk? If they see a post about suicidal ideation, do they screenshot it? Does that screenshot become part of the clinical record?

But what happens when a client’s "choice" is based on disinformation that threatens their life or others? social work ethics in a changing society

But what happens when the society those ethics were written for changes underneath your feet? In the past, privacy meant a locked filing cabinet

Furthermore, the rise of AI note-taking (like Nuance or Ambience) presents a new dilemma. Are we violating informed consent if we don't explicitly tell a client that a bot is listening to their trauma narrative to generate a treatment plan? In a changing society, 2. Self-Determination vs. The Disinformation Age Social work’s reverence for client self-determination is sacred. We are taught to respect the client’s right to choose their own path, even if we disagree with it. The teen mentions a fight with a friend on Instagram

That hasn’t changed. And it never will. What ethical dilemmas are you seeing in your practice that weren't covered in grad school? Let’s talk in the comments.