Social media is here to stay and a majority of adults (and young people) will engage with it to some extent. Therefore, it’s important that our registrants understand how to use it safely and appropriately. It offers wonderful opportunities to connect with friends, colleagues and organisations around the world but it can also cause problems if not used carefully. This section should read in conjunction with the sections on Digital Ethics and Standards of Conduct and Practice.
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One of the first things you should do is read your own organisation’s guidance on social media for employees and familiarise yourself with it. Consider this and the Northern Ireland Social Care Council Standards of Conduct and Practice to help guide your use of all social media platforms.
Read the following articles: How to be a friendly and ethical social worker on social media and Social workers cannot ignore the role of social media in the profession.
Social media is also a way to communicate with the public and importantly, the people who use or might use services. It can be an excellent promotional tool. It’s becoming increasingly important to consider how your organisation uses social media to inform service users about what it does.
Read Social Care Meets Social Media: What’s Holding the Sector Back?
Find out what sort of social media presence your own organisation and service has.
Big organisations such as Trusts or national organisations will almost certainly have accounts on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. Does your service? If so, how up-to-date and accurate is the content?
You can find the Social Care Council on social media on these platforms:
Examples of social media:
Social media, digital and online abuse and harassment: What is it and what can we do about it?
Social media plays an increasingly important role in modern social work. It allows us to share knowledge, build communities, maintain connections, and contribute to public debate. At the same time, it also brings new and complex challenges—including online abuse, harassment, misinformation, and breaches of privacy.
Dr Kenneth Burns, Senior Lecturer, School of Applied Social Studies, University College Cork along with Olwen Halvey, Dr Fiachra Ó Súilleabháin and Amy Bradley, have explored how social workers, students, and probation officers engage with social media—and the risks and realities that can come with that. Dr Burns presented the research findings to the Annual Social Work and Social Care Research Conference on 11 March 2026. This research highlights just how embedded social media is in practice, with 92% of social workers using social media, and a significant number experiencing online abuse or harassment during their careers.
Take a moment to review Dr. Kenneth Burns presentation on Social media, digital and online abuse and harassment: What is it and what can we do about it?
To learn more check out the UCC website for more information about the research study and resources and advices they have made available.
Reflective learning exercise
Complete the exercise below and keep a record of your reflections.
We are always interested in ensuring our resources are valuable tools for the workforce and are keen to hear your feedback, or ideas for future topics which could be included in this resource.
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