Tribunal decision – Name suppressed (SWCDT 27/25P)

This case is published as a learning opportunity for social workers, with a particular focus on the obligations that attach to the social work role in school and youth-facing settings. It concerns the conduct of an experienced social worker employed at a school who engaged in seriously inappropriate boundary-crossing communications with a Year 12 student over social media.

The Tribunal found the social worker’s conduct showed a major failure of professional judgment and was serious enough to amount to professional misconduct. The Tribunal emphasised that, even though the student was not formally her client, the social worker held a position of trust and confidence at the school and had a duty to maintain professional boundaries. The conduct she engaged in discredited the social work profession by undermining public confidence in the professionalism of social workers. That the conduct continued for a period of time despite her awareness that it was inappropriate raised questions about her fitness to practise as a social worker.

The SWRB Code of Conduct sets out the minimum professional standards of integrity and conduct that apply to the social work role itself, not just to people on the social worker’s caseload.

The Tribunal found several breaches of the Code

Principle 1: Act with integrity and honesty

1.1: Act honestly and ethically in all personal and professional behaviour.
1.2: Comply with all legal, professional, and ethical obligations and any other relevant standards, including those in the Social Workers Registration Act 2003.

Principle 4: Be competent and responsible for your professional development

4.12: Take responsibility for your own emotional, mental, and physical health, and practise appropriate self-care – seeking help if your performance, practice, or judgement is affected by health concern.

Principle 9: Maintain public trust and confidence in the social work profession

9.1: Maintain a high standard of professional and personal behaviour – avoid activities, work, or non-work that may in any way bring the social work profession into disrepute; the same standards of conduct are expected when using social media and electronic forms of communication.

The Tribunal found that the social worker should have sought supervision or support when their personal circumstances began affecting their judgment.

As a penalty, the Tribunal decided that cancellation of registration was appropriate, along with censure and a costs order and indicated that any future return to practice would need to be carefully assessed.

This case highlights the important principle that being a competent social worker whose practises in accordance with Code of Conduct expectations means:

taking responsibility for your own emotional, mental, and physical health
practising appropriate self-care
seeking help if your performance, practice, or judgement is affected by health concern.

Questions for reflection

What forms of standing or recognition does my role give me with young people who are not on my formal caseload, and how do I think about the obligations that attach to that standing?

What is my current practice on social media contact with young people in the settings I work in –where is the personal–professional boundary, and have I tested it with a supervisor?

If a young person at my workplace, school or community setting initiated personal contact with me through social media, what would my first three actions be?

What does my workplace make easy or hard about raising a concern about a colleague’s conduct with a young person, and what is my part in that?

Raise concerns about a social worker’s behaviour with us

You can raise a concern with us about a social worker’s behaviour by completing our online concerns and complaints form.

Employers are expected to address any breaches of the Code of Conduct by a social worker they employ but, when the misconduct is deemed serious, employers must report it to the SWRB. If a social worker leaves their employment during a complaint or competence concern investigation the matter must be reported to the SWRB.

Mandatory reporting by employers