Social Work Blog Social work updates from NASW
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and three other social work organizations today released new Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice.
The standards were created after two years of discussion and research.
Here are some commonly asked questions about them:
Q: Who worked on this project with NASW?
A: The standards were created by NASW, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) and the Clinical Social Work Association.
Q: What was the process for creating the standards?
A: Representatives were chosen from each organization to develop uniform standards. The Task Force for Technology Standards in Social Work Practice conducted an extensive literature review in technology, reviewed technology standards developed by other professionals, and reviewed relevant licensing regulations in various jurisdictions. Multiple drafts were prepared and discussed. A 30-day public comment period was held during the summer of 2016 and a large volume of responses were received. A Sub-Task Advisory Group was established to review the draft standards and provide comments.
Q: What is the format of the standards?
A: The new technology standards include four sections: Provision of Information to the Public; Designing and Delivering Services; Gathering, Managing, and Storing Information; and Social Work Education and Supervision. There are a total of 55 standards, a glossary and list of resources.
Q: How should social workers utilize the standards?
A: The technology standards address social workers technology concerns in diverse settings and can be used throughout the social work community.
Does this mean that social work case management cannot be done telephonically across state lines on a regular basis without obtaining a license in each state that is being serviced?
I would like to purchase a copy rather than download. How do I do that?
Good morning. You can purchase a copy at NASW Press: http://naswpress.org/publications/standards/index.html
Thank you for these. Are they available in a reader-friendly or printer-friendly format? For those of us who do use technology, the old-fashioned brochure is not the preferred format.
Thanks!
Good morning Ms. Sussman:
You can download and print the PDF version of the technology standards. Here is the link: http://socialworkers.org/practice/standards/NASW_ASWB_CSWE%20_&_CSWA_Standards_for_Technology.asp
Have a great day.
Greg Wright
NASW Public Relations Manager
I was so hopeful when I read Rain Sussman’s question and you replied that the pdf version of the tech standards was available via the link you provided. However, the link took me to the brochure version, which is not satisfactory for printing out. It requires twice as much paper as it should and puts a blue haze behind the text. Sometimes I can use Photoshop to convert those brochure files to 2 brochure pages/print-out page but a 64 page brochure would take a large amount of time to convert.
Can you tell me what software I need to be able to convert your brochure to a reader-friendly or printer-friendly format, be able to adjust the print size and print it out on 8 1/2 x 11″ paper?
Thanks for your efforts. I hope you can help.
Delegate Assembly. ..darn spell check!
We knew what you meant Beth! Smile. Thanks for your comments.
Greg Wright
NASW Public Relations Manager
AAMFT and AMHCA updated their respective Codes of Ethics in 2015 to include ethical standards for technology use. I hope NASW will do the same in the next Dela gate Assembly.