Michelle Blanchard, PhD Candidate, Orygen Youth Health
Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of
Melbourne & Research Project Manager, Inspire
Foundation.
But it's blocked! Overcoming challenges to using
social networking sites in youth services
Ever gone to type in www.facebook.com at work only
to find that the site is blocked?
This is a familiar experience for many Australian workers.
As the proliferation of social networking sites has grown over the
last few years, many workplaces, including those who work with
young people, have elected to block access to these sites.
The rationale for preventing access to these sites varies.
Typically employers are concerned that employees with access to
social networking sites at work will spend endless hours on the
site, affecting their productivity. Others are concerned that
their employees may stumble across 'inappropriate' content while
navigating these sites. In the case of professionals who work
with young people, employers are sometimes concerned about the
myriad of issues this raises regarding professional
boundaries. For example, what should an employee do when a
young person accessing their service tries to 'friend' them i.e
allow them to join their network of online friends? If an
employee chooses to 'friend' a client, what happens when the
employee notices a photo or status update that indicates a young
person may be at risk of harming themselves or others?
Blocking access to these sites may reduce the risk of any of
these complex issues arising, but it also eliminates the
opportunity for professionals who work with 14-24 year olds to
develop their understanding of the online spaces that young people
occupy and to develop innovative ways of engaging their
clients. Participants in my research which looks at the use
of information communication technology to promote youth mental
health identified a number of innovative ways in which social
networking sites were being used to help build rapport with young
people and promote engagement with treatment. For
example, as this clinicians review explains (
http://www.reachoutpro.com.au/using-technology/during-a-session/building-rapport/using-social-networks-.aspx)
it is possible to utllise a young person's social networking
profile as part of an assessment or treatment to gain further
insights into the young person's life.
So how do you balance the potential of these social networking
tools, with concerns about their use? These issues are
complex and there isn't a straightforward solution. Here's
some tips for those of you who might be new to using social
networking sites or looking to explore their use in engaging young
people.
Obtaining access
If social networking sites are blocked in your workplace, speak
to your Manager about why you'd like to obtain access. You
might like to use some of the content on ReachOutPro to help you to
illustrate some of the potential benefits of using these
tools. These reasons could include helping you to better
understand young people's use of this technology or to trial its
use as an engagement tool. Once you've secured the support of
your manager, speak to your IT administrator about
access. Outlining a brief policy on the use of technology and
how it can be beneficial within the scope of your organisation can
also help. This would involve illustrating how effective the
security and privacy settings on these sites are to your
Manager.
Explore the space
Once you've secured access to the social networking site, spend
some time exploring the site. In particular, you might like
to investigate the site's privacy options to experience for
yourself how to restrict or permit access to certain content.
Identify your own boundaries and stick to
them
If you choose to join a social networking site, such as
Facebook, it is essential that early on you identify your own
professional boundaries and adhere to them. Ask yourself - is
your profile a professional one or a personal one? If it's a
professional one, make sure that this is stated clearly and
communicated to those who 'friend' you. If you choose to
'friend' clients, make sure you have discussed and agreed with them
the purpose of this interaction. For example, you may agree
that your social networking profile is not to be used by the young
person to contact you in a crisis, but you may use it to
disseminate useful resources and weblinks. Also ensure that
the information you are placing is also professional to ensure the
boundaries are clear. Use it as a way to reach young people, give
them information and gain access to their world. If you choose not
to friend clients, make sure you explain why. Generally young
people are receptive to the idea that professional boundaries are
important.
Share your experiences
This is a new area for professional practice and there are many
people out there trying to navigate these complex issues.
Sharing your experiences with your colleagues can help to clarify
your own approach as well as guide others.