#socialwork: An International Study Examining Social Workers' Use of Information and Communication Technology. (16th April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mishna, Faye; Sanders, Jane E; Daciuk, Joanne; Milne, Elizabeth; Fantus, Sophia; Bogo, Marion; Fang, Lin; Greenblatt, Andrea; Rosen, Penny; Khoury-Kassabri, Mona; Lefevre, Michelle
• Is Part Of: British journal of social work. Volume 52:Number 2(2022)
• Page Start: 850
• Page End: 871
• Publication Date: 2021-04-16
• Subjects: clinical practice -- COVID-19 -- ethics -- informal ICT use -- information and communication technology -- social work; Social service -- Periodicals; Social workers -- Periodicals; 361
• DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcab066
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-3102

Abstract

Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) permeated social work practice before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In addition to ICT-based formal services (e.g. e-counselling), social workers used ICTs informally as an adjunct to face-to-face practice. Building on our previous research, our cross-sectional online survey examined social workers' informal use of ICTs in four countries: Canada, the USA, Israel and the UK. The survey was administered through Qualtrics software among social workers across Canada ( n = 2, 609), the USA ( n = 1, 225), Israel ( n = 386) and the UK ( n = 134), and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. The findings substantiate the ubiquitous use of informal ICTs in social work practice, as an adjunct to face-to-face treatment, across the four countries. Given the current, unprecedented context of COVID-19, we discuss the meaning of our findings related to access, ethical considerations (e.g. professional boundaries) and supervision in the context of restricted face-to-face practice. We discuss the implications for social work practice, education and research, and conclude that in the COVID-19 context, there is an even greater need for research, clinical discussion, supervision and policy on informal ICT use in social work practice.