Should social workers discuss their clients specific cases with friends or family, just to have those people?

Question

spread the story.

Is it different for a SW to share a story on an anonymous forum like this one?

What are your views of both stituations and how do they compare and differ?

Thanks.

Answer 1

absolutely not!  i thought social workers were held by the confidentiality laws the same as any professional?  if it's not legally wrong it sure is ethically disgusting.  

these are real people with real lives.  they should not be treated like middle school hall gossip or entertainment.

Answer 2

A social worker should not discuss a case with anyone other then their client or their supervisor. They shouldn't talk about it on a site like this one, or any other. It is private.

Answer 3

I agree with what Cagney said in her answer.  Absolutely spot on

Answer 4

It's an ethical breach for a social worker to share case information.  If someone shares a small portion of a story for purposes of example here on the forum, it is okay as long as no identifying information is given out.  Because some towns are small, specific geographical information should be left off, as well.

Answer 5

they can talk about certain cases but never are allowed to reveal names or identifying information such as school district, address, place of employment.  They can only talk in general terms unless they are talking to someone authorized to have the personal information.

Answer 6

I think as long as professionals don't use names or other identifying details, they can talk about anything they want, anywhere they want.

Answer 7

as a foster mom of 15 years, IMHO..........

Social workers are a half step down from teachers, and after 26 years of middle school thought I was pretty close to the muck....

but as professionals, we just don't talk about client specific cases, except with each other at work..........

I've seen g*y kids, transgender kids,a male and female sibs both being sexually abused by dad. kids ruined by two g*y moms, kids who so badly need to talk about sexual abuse, and this within the context of a public school....you can only push the kids towards counseling/help  after that it's up to them to commit.......to help themselves....

but talk about it so the community hears this?  The victims would only suffer more.

If you really need to tell someone, find a counselar who can give YOU tips on how to handle the stress.

Answer 8

It is inexcusable and unprofessional for a social worker to discuss any specific details of cases with friends and family...and certainly not acceptable to share on a forum like this.  If a social worker has to discuss cases, he or she should go to their supervisor or a professional counselor.  If this has happened to you, you should go to the director of social services within the offending agency.

Answer 9

Absolutely not to friends and family. Anonomously on this forum, I guess that wouldn't hurt anyone.

Answer 10

I dont think thats legal.  

However,

I was in a grad class for "educating the emotionally disturbed"  , when I was a youth worker, and there was a woman in there who was a teacher.  We talked about cases there, and one little boy who called people the oddest names  like a "poopy doodle head"  and even though we left names out, could both peg who the kid was, even though we were careful to keep things anonymous.  So I think its different if its a learning environment.

I also think this can be a high stress job, and sometimes it helps to talk about things with people you love, but to leave out any specifics.

Answer 11

As long as names and identifying information are not discussed, you can discuss case situations. Why do you ask?

Answer 12

Cases are always confidential.... but they may be discussed with another professional, but both are bound by confidentiality.

Sometimes cases are discussed in confidence, but names or other info that would reveal the client should never be made public under any circumstances.