Stay Socially Safe
Mobile phone
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) has published Guidance on Social Media for Registrants (professionals who have completed an approved HCPC programme) on how to best to use social media for practice and reflection with advice on keeping safe.
The guide includes case studies from professionals using social media to connect with the public at large, engage with other professionals and increase the status of the profession. At the same time it explains how to handle cyberbullying and how to avoid breaking a client’s confidentiality. The guide also:
- outlines the HCPC standards on using social media
- gives tips on using social media
- offers information on how to find out more.
The guide has been produced as a result of requests from educators and health and social care professionals and aims to keep professionals and service users safe. In addition there is a podcast Guidance on Social Media with the Director of Policy and Standards Michael Guthrie explaining the guidance.
If you are currently on an HCPC programme the guidance is useful for your current and future use of social media. In the meantime you can become a student member of HCPC. To do this visit the Students and Applicants page. There is also an interactive tool on Using Social Media for students and also guidance on situations you might experience when on placement on the Learning Resource – Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students.
