Consultation on proposed guidance for communicating online
20 August 2025
Consultation on proposed guidance for communicating online
This consultation closed on Wednesday 29 October 2025 at 11.59pm. We are no longer accepting responses to this consultation. We are currently analysing the responses to this consultation. We will then publish a consultation response along with the final guidance. Full details of our response and any amendments will be made available on our website.
Published: 20 August 2025
Introduction
Communicating with people is at the heart of social work. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of online tools we use to communicate with people. These include (any of the following):
- instant messaging
- video calling platforms
- social media and professional networking platforms
Social workers use online communication tools in their day-to-day work to share knowledge and skills, collaborate on cases, or to connect with colleagues. It’s important that social workers communicate in a way that meets the needs of the people they support. Social workers also use online communication tools in their private and personal lives.
Social workers are required to uphold the professional standards, which set out what they must know, understand and be able to do to practise safely and effectively. These standards apply to all social workers in all roles and all settings. They are designed to ensure public protection and maintain public confidence in the profession. When communicating online, social workers should exercise their professional judgement so they can uphold the professional standards.
We have developed new guidance to help social workers apply the professional standards when they communicate online. We have also developed guidance for our decision makers to help them when considering fitness to practise concerns relating to a social worker’s online communication. We have launched this consultation to seek feedback on both of these pieces of guidance.
Before responding to this consultation, please read the proposed guidance:
- Communicating online guidance for social workers.
- Communicating online guidance for decision makers.
A summary of the proposed guidance
Guidance for social workers
The guidance for social workers is intended to help them apply the professional standards when communicating online. It does not create any new standards or obligations for social workers. It does not give instructions about how to communicate or which tools to use.
This guidance sets out 4 general principles that social workers should think about when communicating online. These are (all of the following):
- Security: the importance of upholding privacy and confidentiality.
- Accountability: considering the impact of what they post online and knowing what to do if something goes wrong.
- Using the right tools: understanding the purpose of communicating online and choosing the most appropriate platforms and tools.
- Maintaining boundaries: the importance of knowing what other policies and laws apply and maintaining professional boundaries.
It shows which professional standards are relevant when communicating online. It also outlines how we will consider concerns relating to social workers and their online communication.
Guidance for internal decision makers
We may receive concerns about social workers and their communication online. If we receive a concern like this, we will consider it carefully to determine whether it is a fitness to practise concern. This guidance has been developed to assist decision makers when they consider these concerns.
This guidance will ensure decision makers consider all the evidence available to them, and helps us to ensure there is consistency in decision making about these concerns.
How to respond
This consultation period was for 10 weeks and closed on Wednesday 29 October 2025. We are no longer accepting responses to this consultation.
We are currently analysing the responses to this consultation. We will then publish a consultation response along with the final rules. Full details of our response and any amendments will be made available on our website.