Documentation in Schools through the lens of the NASW Code of Ethics

Participants will deepen their understanding of why documentation matters beyond compliance, including its role in advocacy, service coordination, evaluation, and professional protection. The morning sessions provide a strong foundation in both the legal requirements and the NASW Code of Ethics as they relate to documentation in school settings. Participants will examine legal rules governing documentation, confidentiality, access, and compliance, alongside an ethics-focused exploration of how the NASW Code of Ethics informs documentation decisions. Together, these sessions support participants in understanding what documentation must include, what ethical standards require or allow, and how to navigate competing expectations within school environments using both legal and ethical frameworks.

The Rules, The Reasons, The Reality

The MSSWA Winter Virtual Conference focuses on one of the most critical - and often misunderstood - aspects of school social work practice: documentation. Across legal, ethical, and systems-level perspectives, this full-day virtual conference will support licensed school social workers in strengthening consistent, accurate, and defensible documentation practices.

SSW Documentation: Developing Sustainable Procedures