Staff & Consumer Social Media Practice: Findings & Next Steps ReGen General Staff Meeting 30/11/16

Key findings

• 31 respondents• Access problems at Curran Place

Findings• Privacy is important• Good awareness of appropriate safe practice

strategies• Negative experiences rare (but significant)• Agency systems used to manage online

contacts

Do you currently use social media?

Which platforms do you use?

Which platform do you use the most?

Which platforms have you stopped using?

Why did you stop?

No longer use any SM: Why?

No use: Has a client’s social media use been raised as an issue?

Do you try to keep your work & private life separate on SM?

Reasons for keeping things separate?

Negative experience: Did this relate to your work?

Strategies used to maintain privacy

Have been contacted by clients on social media

What was your experience of the contact like?

How dealt with unwanted contact?

How would you deal with future contact?

Consumer workshop: key issues

• Importance of privacy (and informed decision making) for consumers and staff

• Positives and negatives associated with social media use

• Importance of understanding that social media platforms’ privacy settings change often – need for regular review.

• Need for ReGen to integrate social media use within its clinical services (where appropriate)

Consumer workshop: SM use + & -

Reasons for use:• Education, entertainment, recovery

resources, making/maintaining positive connections

Negatives:• Too time consuming, unwanted contacts• Privacy breaches e.g. stalking• Triggers – jealousy/depression, memories• Public disputes/misunderstandings

Issues for consideration

• Need for considered response to client contact (clinical judgement; how would ‘block’ be viewed?)

• Consider clients’ SM use when assessing potential risk, determining goals/actions & reviewing progress

• Understand impacts of individual/agency SM practice on others’ privacy e.g.

oTaggingoHashtagsoFB page vs profile

Next steps• Review SM policy & develop practice guideline• Teams to consider how to include SM

discussions within clinical practice• Develop safe practice resource for consumers• Opportunities for peer-led SM training for

consumers• Ongoing monitoring of patterns of interaction

with ReGen accounts & review of agency practice

• 2017 – AOD sector & consumer surveys