Denise explored the implications of using social media connections within social work practice, education and research.

1. ‘FROM BOUNDARY
TRANSGRESSIONS TO LIVE
TWITTER SESSIONS’:
The challenges and
opportunities of social media
for social work education and
practice.
Dr Denise Turner, Dept. of Social Work and Social Care,
University of Sussex

2. “…PROMOTING INCLUSIVITY
&INTERACTION TO ENHANCE
&TRANSFORM LEARNING…”
“Denise will explore the implications of using social media
connections within social work practice, education and
research…”
A brief look at fears & dualities in thinking about
technology
 Young people and their world…messages about
digital interaction
Self as Case study!
Regulation and social work/social media
 Embracing the challenges offered by social and
digital media in Social Work education….

3. “TECHNOLOGY IS
NEITHER GOOD OR
BAD; NOR IS IT
NEUTRAL”
Kranzberg, M (1986)

5. “t is evident from some children’s news that they spend a lot of
time interacting with computers and consoles. I have talked to
the children about the extensive research carried out on the
effects of this over long periods of time. Research shows that
such children find it difficult to focus, concentrate and also
become withdrawn and preoccupied. This is certainly evident
form those children who have spent a lot of time playing
computer games over the weekend, as without fail, these
children are finding it impossible to concentrate on Mondays at
school……..Research has also shown…other symptoms of
game addiction are carpel tunnel syndrome, migraines, sleep
disturbances. Including sleep apnoea, back problems, eating
irregularities and poor personal hygiene…
…..I thought it would be a good idea to explain this research to
the children so that they have an informed choice…..

6. ‘It’s not that I want to smash
the machines, it’s just that I
don’t want the machines to
smash me.’
(Winterson, 1993)

7. THE DOCTORAL
EXPERIENCE……..

8. TWITTER
#ESWphd……Weekly Twitter Chat
#TeamTurner
JSWEC 2013 Keynote
Chapter in Social Media and
Social Work Education

9. SOME IMPLICATIONS OF THIS
EXPERIENCE:
Building inclusivity
Reducing Isolation and addressing
social justice issues
Encouraging creativity/new ways to
think about things…..
VERY OBVIOUS SYNERGIES WITH SOCIAL
WORK…..BUT…..

10. SOCIAL MEDIA, SOCIAL
WORK AND REGULATION…..
HCPC: Regulatory body for Social Workers –
Focus on Standards – Social Networking sites:
“ More & more people are using social networking sites or blogs
to communicate with friends and family. Registrant’s , educators
and individuals studying to join the professions we regulate
sometimes contact us to ask our views on the use of these sites.
We recognise that these sites are a useful way of communicating
with friends and colleagues. Information placed on social
networking sites is within the public domain and can therefore be
viewed by other people. We rarely need to take action over a
registrant’s use of social networking sites. We would only take
action about a registrant using such a site if it raised concerns
about their fitness to practice.”

11. BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF
SOCIAL WORKERS
Social Media Policy (2012)
“Social workers should ensure they
maintain appropriate professional and
personal boundaries and take
responsibility for recognising ethical
dilemmas presented by different types
of social media…”

12. SOCIAL MEDIA ASSOCIATED
WITH RISK, CONTROL,
PROTECTION……..

13. HOW SOCIAL WORK ACADEMICS
ARE USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO
SUPPORT STUDENT LEARNING (Ayres,
S & HEA , 2012)
Academics have an important role in
ensuring that student social workers,
like many professionals, have an
appropriate online presence while
remaining alive to the potential
benefits of engaging through social
media for practice educators, service
users and carers.’

14. COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK
(2013) Process Curriculum: Enhancing the
nature of social work education
 ‘Programmes will use a range of approaches to
teaching and learning using both didactic and
interactive methods. Some will be delivered face to
face, some through e-learning or a
combination…in order to fully engage with their
course, students will need to understand the
rationale for these varied approaches to learning
and how they support the development of the
qualities and skills expected of social workers.’

15. HOW DO WE DELIVER THIS?
 As academics we have to be prepared to experiment ourselves
 We have to develop a knowledge of the various digital platforms
available and how students, practitioners and service users are
using these
 Embrace the opportunities as well as the challenges of social
media and use these to develop the profile of our profession or
discipline not simply to ‘regulate’ it
 To acknowledge that whilst particular sns may fade in popularity
this way of communicating is not a passing fad and is here to
stay
 To welcome what our young people know and can teach us
instead of greeting their world with fear and a ‘damage
mentality.’

16. SUSSEX SOCIAL WORK
 Use of twitter hash tag within social media awareness
training :MA1 programme 2014 -2015
 Engagement with nominated Social Work social media
Ambassadors
 Use of specially designed app to video and assess MA1
students
 Special Events - #uscopro and major strand in new Research
Centre

17. CLOSING THOUGHTS………

19. AND FINALLY……..
CRITICAL REFLECTION:
“The process of continuously reflecting upon our
own biases, assumptions and cultural
worldviews affect the ways we perceive
differences and power dynamics” (Sakamoto & Pitner,
2005)
You teach me to be reflective and make creative
use of my self but how can I do this if I cannot
engage fully in social media which is part of my
self and my interests?

20. THANKS FOR LISTENING!
ANY QUESTIONS?
Mail to : D.M.Turner@sussex.ac.uk Twitter: DeniseT01