During these unprecedented times we know that many Social Workers across Canada are considering alternative ways to continue providing services to clients such as video conference, Skype, Zoom, and telephone.
If you have not yet purchased liability insurance for your practice, click here to access CASW’s national liability insurance program offered through BMS – it is the only program in Canada for social workers with coverage specific to E-services.
CASW advises you to review the Standards of Practice on this subject put forward by your Provincial Regulatory Body:
Additional Resources:
CASW Private Practice Portal – scroll to 3.3 Virtual Counselling.
CASW Social Media Use and Social Work Practice
BMS/CASW Covid 19 Practice Resources
- COVID-19:_Protecting Privacy in a Pandemic
- COVID-19: Virtual Health Care Services
- Covid-19: Consent to Use Electronic Communications
Toolkit for e-Mental Health Implementation - Mental Health Commission of Canada
E-Mental Health in Canada: Transforming the Mental Health System Using Technology
Implementing Virtual Care in Mental Health Settings - available on the CAMH Digital Mental Health Certificate website and is a series of 10 brief, practical videos to support health care providers who are providing mental health care virtually.
NASW, ASWB, CSWE and CSWA Standards for Technology in Social Work Practice (2017): https://www.socialworkers.org/includes/newIncludes/homepage/PRA-BRO-33617.TechStandards_FINAL_POSTING.pdf
Social Work Today: Eye on Ethics https://www.socialworktoday.com/news/eoe_0420.shtml
Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (2019) Guidelines for uses of technology in counselling and psychotherapy https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/TISCGuidelines_Mar2019_EN.pdf
Extended Health - Coverage Updates for Social Work
Virtual Health Care Services – Ensuring Continuity of Care
Sunlife – Extending Coverage to include virtual services
CASW Webinars:
Help is on the Line: Incorporating Technology into Therapy
Telehealth & Social Work Practice Same ethical practice – different locations
Current State of COVID-19: Telehealth, Liability, and Business Insurance Considerations
Providing E-Services to Clients: What are the Risks?