WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS SOCIAL WORKERS GET SUED FOR?












Incorrect treatment
Sexual impropriety
Breach of Confidence/privacy
Diagnosis: failure to or incorrect
Suicide of patient
Improper referral/placement
Improper death: patient or others
Defamation/libel/slander
Breach of Contract
Loss from evaluation
Violation of civil rights
Countersuit for fee collection
(In a study by Reamer the above accounted for 83.6 % of the categories of Malpractice Claims against Social
Workers insured by NASW’s insurance carrier. See Reamer, F. (1995) Malpractice claims against social workers:
first facts, Social Work, 40, 597-610)