This policy should be read in conjunction with Bury Council’s corporate social media policy.
Social media enables people across the world to link up and share information instantly, whether for business or personal matters.
Bury Council uses social media as a key tool in communicating with our local population – sharing information that is helpful to them and allowing us to listen better to our communities.
Every employee, member and stakeholder of Bury Council has the opportunity to contribute positively to the council’s work through the use of social media.
Many council functions – from our leisure centres and our market to our children’s services – use social media for positive benefit in their work. It is also an important method for members to connect with local people.
However, all staff need to know how to keep themselves and the people they work with safe from the potential dangers that arise through inappropriate use of social media.
The boundaries between personal and professional use of social media can often blur. It is important therefore to be careful to ensure your use of social media does not cause unintended harm to you, to your employer or to the people you work with.
RELEVANT INFORMATION
CONTENTS
1. Introduction
This guidance provides information about how to minimise risk to yourself, and others, whilst using social media sites.
As a social care professional, it is your responsibility to protect yourself as far as possible from allegations of wrongdoing online and whilst using digital technology, in order to avoid potentially inappropriate or damaging situations. As your job involves direct work with adults and families who may be experiencing challenging and stressful situations, it is possible that some people may post information online about staff or the service that is wrong or upsetting.
It is vital therefore that, in order to protect the reputation of the organisation and staff, the response is always professional, proportionate and measured. In such situations, managers may need to respond to and take action against those posting such material; guidance is provided below to help protect staff and volunteers working with the public.
2. Professional Use of Social Media
As a social care professional you may choose to have a professional profile on social media. This is commonly on LinkedIn, but many professionals also use Twitter as a platform to share aspects of their work.
Bury Council is supportive of staff who take on a public leadership role for their professional work area. You may choose to speak at conferences or to the media (with the knowledge and support of the council’s communications team). You are obviously speaking in a public, or semi-public, arena when you do this. You are acting as a system leader and you are helping build a positive reputation for Bury Council. What you choose to share of this on social media is for you to decide, but you should bear in mind the guidance in this policy when you do so.
Many people use social media for both personal and professional purposes. You may choose to comment on or share information that relates to your work on an account that you also use for personal purposes. You must make the judgement about what is appropriate to share, based on your job and what the content is. However, you should take into account both the guidance in this policy and in the council’s corporate social media policy at all times. Remember that if you identify yourself as a council employee that you will be expected to behave appropriately and in ways that are consistent with the council’s values and policies
3. Steps to Minimise Risk
3.1 Privacy settings and passwords
Check your privacy settings across all social networks. This can be done by going to ‘Settings’ and reviewing the current privacy settings. Updating privacy settings is vital to being able to protect yourself online and is just as important as keeping a credit card safe, for example.
The privacy settings of some social media sites can be set up to send posts just to particular groups, such as close friends, rather than all ‘friends’. Such options are worth considering when thinking about sharing information that you would not necessarily want all people to know.
Remember some information cannot be hidden however tight privacy settings. Names and profile images will always be visible on Facebook for example, so choose images or photos carefully.
By logging out of your social networks and then searching for yourself you can see how your profile appears to the public.
Regularly update your passwords. Do not use the same one across all social media accounts. This will help avoid someone hacking into your account and posting inappropriate status updates or images.
You can make it more difficult to be found online, by changing your name or surname.
3.2 Connect wisely
Many people have far more friends on social media than they know personally. But it is wise only to connect with people that you know and trust. Even people you know, however, may post comments or share material that you do not like or agree with.
In such cases think about whether to ‘unfriend’ that person rather than be associated with someone whose views you do not share. If it is someone you know and like, discuss their posts with them if you find it uncomfortable.
Consider the purpose of the site, and use it accordingly. For example, LinkedIn is for professional connections. It is best, therefore, not to accept requests to connect if the message contains suspicious text or the person seems to have no connections, location, education or vocation similar to you.
3.3.1 Personal information
Think carefully before you post photos and text.
If you would not say it in public or to your manager, or want them to see certain images, you should not put it on social media however tight your privacy settings. Online friends can share or repost / re-tweet your updates, so you can lose control of what you say and display. Even if you delete of edit a post after publication, people may have taken a screengrab which they can share at anytime.
Remember, some things are best only shared in person or by telephone or even not at all, not via social media including email.
It is illegal to access or download material that promotes or shows criminal behaviour. Do not access any illegal or inappropriate websites on your personal computer or mobile phone, not even for personal or professional research purposes. This includes illegal or inappropriate images of children, some pornography or extremist websites.
Photos and texts sent to mobile phones and tablets can also be shared by others, so be careful what you send to others or what images you allow people to take of you. Sometimes images are accompanied by personal information, including name, address and links to their social media profiles. Sharing certain private images or films may be an offence under the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015. It applies both on and offline and to images which are shared electronically or more traditionally, so includes uploading of images on the internet, sharing by text and email, or showing someone a physical or electronic image.
Be careful using social media whilst under the influence of alcohol or medication, or if you are feeling upset or distressed in any way. Whilst your own posts can be edited the next day, there is often not much that can be done about other people’s replies or shares of your post. Remember that people can screen grab your post and share it at any time.
Take care when in contact with others via web cam internet sites (for example chat rooms, message boards, social networking sites and newsgroups). Avoid inappropriate communication with anyone you think may be under 18, or anyone with whom you may be considered to be in a position of trust.
Avoid inappropriate communication with those who you do not know. Adults can pose as children using interactive technology; similarly some children can pose as adults.
3.3.2 Professional Information
See also Professional Standards (Social Work England)
Posting information in relation to adults with whom you work, or their family or friends, is not allowed. This is likely to be a breach of data protection legislation and confidentiality (see Data Protection and Information Sharing and Confidentiality). Even if it is not illegal, it is professionally unethical and may result in disciplinary action being taken. For example, families have seen and subsequently made formal complaints about social workers who – whilst not disclosing any personal information – have posted comments following court cases which have found in the local authority’s favour.
Posting information about work colleagues of any grade, whilst not illegal, is not advised at all. It can damage working relationships and cause difficulties in the office environment. Again, it may lead to disciplinary action being taken.
Consider also the possible implications of out of office hours discussions with colleagues via social media about controversial issues such as politics, for example. Working relationships can sometimes be negatively affected by such disagreements.
If in the course of your work you see an adult or child who you think may have physical injuries or signs of abuse or neglect, seek advice from your manager or designated safeguarding manager before taking photographs for evidential purposes on a mobile phone or tablet, and record the guidance they give you. This is to avoid unnecessary allegations being made against you, where your actions could be misinterpreted. If the advice is not to take photographs, mark the site of the injuries on a body map, make a written record and refer your concerns in the usual way.
3.4 Review content
If you have used social media accounts over a number of years, it may be useful to review earlier entries to see if there is any content you posted when you were younger that you would not now post. If so, it would be best to delete it.
Check what others post about you, as this also contributes to your social media profile even if you did not post it yourself. If you are not happy with being tagged in a particular photo or status update, contact the person or organisation concerned via messaging or email (rather than via a public discussion) and politely ask them to remove it, explaining why.
Getting content taken down by the social media company can be difficult and may have to involve the police, which should only be reserved for extreme cases.
3.5 Act wisely
Whilst you should always share personal information with caution, in particular do not give email addresses or mobile telephone numbers to anyone who is, or has been, an adult who uses services or members of their family. If you wish to keep in contact with any such person, only use work emails or telephone numbers to communicate with them. Discuss your intention with your line manager in advance and seek their advice.
Ensure you follow your organisation’s Acceptable Use Policy / IT and email procedures. If you breach any part, report it immediately to your manager or designated other member of staff, as outlined in the procedures.
If there is any incident regarding the use of social media that concerns you, report it immediately to your line manager. Document it as soon as possible, according to your workplace procedures.
5. In Summary
Use common sense and professional judgement at all times to avoid circumstances which are, or as importantly could be viewed by others, to be inappropriate.
Remember, computers, tablets and mobile phone technology may be the virtual world, but they very much impact on real life. Treat people the same through electronic communications as you would on a personal basis.
Do’s
- Use social media as a positive contribution to your community and your profession;
- Be clear about the appropropriate boundaries of your professional and personal social media presence;
- Think carefully before you post anything online;
- Search on your own name to see what others can see about you and take action if there is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable;
- Protect and regularly change your passwords;
- Regularly review your privacy settings;
- Make it more difficult to be found online (for example, change your surname).
Don’ts
- Use inappropriate language;
- Expect your friends or family to know how to protect your online reputation and how information they may post could impact on you professionally;
- Accept or send friend requests to adults who you have met through the course of your work who use services, their family or friends.
