Key Takeaways:
- Take a factual, accurate, and complete approach to incident reporting.
- Be cognizant of overwhelming caseloads and stress by seeking out support and keeping an open dialogue with your manager, employer, or peers.
- When it comes to maintaining proper boundaries, if your behavior isn’t something you would include in a client’s record, you shouldn’t be doing it.
- Social worker liability insurance is an important risk management consideration to help protect your career and license.
Jennifer Flynn, CPHRM, Vice President of Risk Management at HPSO, outlines core liability areas and risk prevention strategies for social workers. Review
Part 1 for insights on malpractice risk exposures.
What are best practices for incident reporting for social workers?
“Following proper incident reporting procedures is so important,” observes Flynn. “Not only is it your first line of defense should a malpractice allegation emerge, but it is also a critical component of any healthcare organization’s risk management plan.”
Robust incident reporting policies include approved communication between providers and patients or clients and provide quality assurance protocols to augment prevention efforts.
- Know your employer’s incident reporting policies, including what communication disclosures you can and cannot have with clients as a clinician.
- If an incident or suspected incident occurs, document what happened in a factual, accurate, and complete way. Should a lawsuit arise, this documentation will be essential to building your defense.
- Include key information, such as individuals involved, witnesses, and any actions taken.
How can social workers maintain proper boundaries with clients?
Given the difficult and deeply personal issues social workers help their clients navigate, maintaining proper boundaries is a core risk area to have on your radar.
“When an allegation of violating client boundaries arises, we can typically see where the pathway or deviation starts as a boundary crossing,” notes Flynn.
“Social workers may not realize their behavior is problematic because it seems harmless. The justification we often hear is their actions were intended to help the client. So that is something very important to keep in mind,” explains Flynn.
Strategies for developing and maintaining professional clinician-client relationships include:
- Avoid disclosing personal information about yourself with your clients.
- Do not make special accommodations for one client when you would not do so for others.
- Do not connect with clients on social media or socialize with clients outside of the provider relationship.
- Be conscious if you find yourself thinking about the client outside the parameters of a professional relationship.
- Outline clear communication guidelines, expectations, and limitations with the client from the onset of your professional relationship. Communicate with clients solely using the proper channels.
- Comply with requirements as a mandated reporter, sharing any suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. This responsibility primarily pertains to clients who are minors and dependent or elder adults but be sure to check requirements established by your organization and state and local jurisdiction.
“If your behavior isn’t something you would include in a client record, you shouldn’t be doing it,” cautions Flynn.
There are obvious cases of boundary violations within the social work profession, such as starting a romantic or sexual relationship with a client. But there are a range of other types of inappropriate behavior that still constitute unethical or unprofessional conduct – something as seemingly innocent as connecting on social media, for instance. Any documentation related to these interactions can come back to haunt you, as well.
“Remember, social media posts, text messages, and email all constitute evidence,” cautions Flynn. “This content is discoverable in a lawsuit. It is difficult to build a defense when you have clear communication that calls your level of professional judgement into question.”
If you find that the relationship with a client is moving towards unprofessional conduct, reestablish the proper boundaries and limit the dialogue to professional assessments – and document this discussion took place.
How can social workers get support to tackle overwhelming caseloads, burnout and stress?
“Unfortunately, burnout and stress are very common within healthcare, particularly the social work profession,” notes Flynn. “Providers are being asked to do more with less.”
Social workers may feel affected with large caseloads, but there are steps you can take to access support and better manage your workload.
- Have an honest and open dialogue about your professional workload with your manager or supervisor and request support when you need it. Discuss realistic goals and expectations of your role with your organization.
- Take advantage of peer-to-peer support and industry resources, such as discussion forums, training, professional development workshops, conferences or events, and mentorship opportunities centered on case management and stress reduction.
- Seek out assessment tools and resources to help you streamline your workload offered by leading social worker organizations or authorities, such as the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), American Board of Clinical Social Work (ABCSW), or your state board.
- Consider ways to reduce stress outside of work, such as practicing mindfulness, exercising, and maintaining good nutrition.
How can social workers stay updated on social work practice standards and regulations?
“Keeping up with evolving social work industry standards and practicing good risk control habits go hand-in-hand,” notes Flynn.
Staying current on the latest social work practice standards, trends, and insights can seem endless, leading to social workers feeling overwhelmed.
- Divide social work practice standards and regulations into bite-size components to help alleviate stress and thoroughly digest information. Consider dedicating a specific time or day of the week to catch up on realistic amounts of content.
- Take advantage of continuing education, annual conferences, and networking opportunities to learn about emerging industry trends.
- Make a habit of visiting your state board’s website on a routine basis to check for changing legislation and other updates.
- If you are working with a specific client population or geographic area, stay on top of industry updates to help keep your practice and clients safe.
What factors should social workers consider when searching for professional liability insurance?
Securing individual professional liability insurance is highly advisable for social workers to safeguard your career, license, and finances. Remember that your employer-provided liability insurance may have gaps in coverage and could prioritize the organization’s position over yours in the event of a claim. In addition, their policy may only cover you while on the job.
Conversely, having your own malpractice insurance policy provides 24/7 coverage and prioritizes your best interests. Be sure to conduct your research thoroughly when shopping around for coverage. Factors to consider include:
- Limits and extensions of the policy, including whether it offers Licensure Defense coverage (Employer-provided coverage may not include it. An employer could file a complaint against an individual provider’s license.)
- A.M. Best rating (an industry-recognized leading provider of independent ratings based on an insurance company’s ability to pay claims, debts, and other financial obligations.)
- Customer reviews and testimonials.
- Provider benefits beyond coverage, such as risk education content, strong customer service and claims handling, association partners, and savings opportunities.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS), an insurance industry metric used to gauge customer loyalty and satisfaction.
“At the end of the day, you hold the power to be a good ambassador of the profession and safeguard your practice and your clients, right at your fingertips,” notes Flynn. Take advantage of resources to help build robust risk management habits for yourself, including finding a malpractice insurance plan that fits your lifestyle.
HPSO is a leading provider of
social worker professional liability insurance. Our 24/7 coverage includes Professional Liability, Licensure Defense, Subpoena Assistance Costs, and much more. We are proudly endorsed by the American Board of Clinical Social Work (ABCSW) and insure over 1 million healthcare providers.
Hear what social workers insured through HPSO had to say
Becoming involved in a malpractice claim is never an easy experience, but it helps to know you have a support system behind you. With HPSO, that’s what you get.
“The claims representative was fantastic from the first phone call. I was always informed, and he made sure the case was moving along. He checked for updates and was supportive throughout the process.” –
HPSO Social Worker Customer
“From the moment I reached out, I knew I was in good hands. The representative always responded to me immediately and explained everything to me in detail. She was very, very supportive and handled my case professionally.” –
HPSO Social Worker Customer
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*Insights sourced from HPSO and CNA-insured social worker closed claims occurring from 2017 to 2024.