Social Service Workers' Use of Social Media to Obtain Client Information: Current Practices and Perspectives on a...

Area of Science:

• Social Work
• Human Services
• Information Science

Background:

• Social media platforms are increasingly integrated into various professional fields.
• Understanding their application in human services delivery is essential for effective practice.
• Current social media usage patterns among social service providers are not well-documented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the current use of social media platforms in human services delivery.
• To identify challenges, benefits, and worker comfort with a potential social media-based informatics platform.
• To explore the relationship between social media use and worker characteristics/agency type.

Main Methods:

• Systematic survey of 172 social service workers across six agencies in a Midwest US city.
• Quantitative analysis of social media usage, comfort, and trust.
• Qualitative analysis of challenges, benefits, and ethical concerns.

Main Results:

• Approximately 50% of social service workers surveyed use social media for client-related information, with nearly 25% using it often.
• Social media use correlated with agency type and worker tenure.
• Trust in information was a stronger predictor of comfort with a social media platform than agency involvement in investigative work.

Conclusions:

• Social media adoption in human services is present but requires careful navigation of ethical considerations.
• Developing social media informatics platforms necessitates addressing worker concerns, agency policies, and professional standards.
• Future research should focus on mitigating the complex ethical challenges associated with social media in social services.