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As a professional worker, you interact with many clients and deal with severe issues at work. But worse still, you often deal with a clientele base that is sometimes tough and unpredictable. Because of the demanding clients and rigorous working environment, you may sometimes be held responsible for errors or omissions arising from your interaction with a client.
We bet you wouldn't want a scenario where you have to dig into your personal resources to compensate a disgruntled client. As a professional social worker, you should be pretty aware of the severe risks involved in this rewarding profession and ultimately get the best liability insurance for social workers.
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Liability policies never go missing in social work insurance coverage offered by organizations and insurance companies. Typically, the most common types are general liability and professional liability insurance. The next section discusses these in detail.
General liability insurance for social workers will protect you from personal injury claims or property damage claims. Some people you’re dealing with might be unreasonable and hold you liable for workplace accidents. If you’re sued for property damage or personal injuries, general liability will take care of attorney fees, other legal costs, and settlements.
Personal injury claims and property damage claims rarely happen in social work. Right now, you might be thinking that having general liability insurance isn’t very essential since the charity of any other organization you're currently working for can provide coverage.
You'll need to purchase anyway as general liability insurance is actually comprehensive. It provides further protection against slander, libel, and copyright infringement claims if you decide to add advertising injury coverage. As a social worker, the likelihood of you being sued for reputational harm is very high. And this makes general liability insurance very essential in your line of work.
You might be using computers, laptops, and other tools and equipment. In case those get damaged or lost, general liability insurance can provide help with its tools and equipment coverage. Note that only select carriers offer general liability insurance with tools and equipment coverage. It’s because the policy is offered as a stand-alone product.
Professional Liability insurance is a policy that safeguards social workers from any legal action taken against them. This is a type of errors and omissions policy that is sometimes referred to as malpractice insurance.
In a nutshell, professional liability insurance provides a shield if someone accuses you of causing economic or financial loss because of negligence.
Whether you are a shareholder in practice or an employee of an institution, you will need more information to make a sound decision about choosing a career. You could decide to go for independent social worker insurance coverage or social work private practice insurance .
Whatever you choose, ensure you negotiate the policy options well. Insurance companies will provide you with different incentives. However, the primary coverage is almost the same and includes:
Negligence: It doesn't matter whether it is intentional or not. Negligence poses a severe risk for any social worker.
Defense Costs: Being accused of negligence or malpractice is one thing, and putting up a defense against such allegations is a different thing altogether. You could end up losing or winning the case. You will still have to pay for attorney's fees and court costs, whatever the outcome is.
As a novice in the field of social work, you may not quite understand the need for the best malpractice insurance for social workers . In most instances, many new social workers aren't interested in what this professional liability risk entails.
Why?
Because the employer has already chosen the insurance carrier, negotiated the policy details, and paid for the insurance. So, what's there to find out anyway?
If your social services professional liability insurance is already paid for, try to find out what type of cover it is, what to do if a suit is filed, and what happens when you quit the group.
The risks you will face as a social worker are numerous. However, the most common yet biggest mistake in this field is negligence. Therefore, malpractice insurance for licensed clinical social workers will provide coverage for any unforeseen situation.
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If you’re just a volunteer social worker or an independent social worker, consider getting loss of income coverage. Loss of income coverage is a policy that works similarly to workers compensation insurance but is less comprehensive.
You can claim loss of income coverage if you got hurt or sick and can’t perform work. Once your claim is processed, loss of income coverage will then provide an allowance you can use to pay for medication, food, bills, and so on. So how long will you receive money? Typically, loss of income coverage gives you money for 120 days.
As we emphasized earlier, loss of income coverage isn’t as comprehensive as workers compensation insurance. The following points outline the reasons:
Workers compensation insurance covers emergency treatment, hospitalization, medication, and rehabilitation. Loss of income coverage doesn’t
Workers compensation insurance provides an allowance to reimburse lost wages for a duration of 300+ days. The allowance provided by loss of income coverage only lasts for 120 days
Workers compensation insurance provides death benefits if a social worker dies because of a work-related injury or disease.
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Clinical social workers need to maintain high standards of professionalism at all times. Making one careless mistake can result in hefty losses for someone. And when this happens, a clinical social worker might find himself or herself in dire straits.
Malpractice insurance for licensed clinical social workers cushions you from incurring extra expenses while putting up a defense against claims of errors or negligence. It allows you to carry out your duties without fear of litigation.
There are two types of LCSW malpractice insurance. They are:
Individual liability insurance for licensed clinical social workers can be an occurrence-based coverage that provides superior and more comprehensive protection. The only downside an occurrence-based malpractice coverage is the cost - it is relatively expensive, considering that it covers the clinician even after the expiry of the policy.
Unlike the occurrence-based malpractice insurance for social workers, the cost of claims-made coverage is more petite and affordable. The low cost, however, comes with a limited coverage period. The insurance only covers the clinician when the policy is in effect.
Clinical social work involves a particular practice that focuses on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
And so, you need general liability insurance for social workers as well as other clinical social worker liability insurance policies to protect yourself against litigation, which is never cheap.
These clinical social workers interact with their clients more often and provide solution treatments. You are bound to make a mistake unintentionally or face false accusations from your clients.
You need to become a member of the National Association of Social Workers. One of the significant benefits of being a member is having the chance to get covered by NASW liability insurance policies.
This organization is known to have the best professional liability insurance for social workers. NASW professional liability insurance allows for flexible payment options, fast claims processing, and generous policy limits.
The National Association of Social Workers recommends that every practicing social worker gets their own liability insurance. With nasw malpractice insurance program, you have easy access to tools and resources that will help you take your career to the next level. Aside from malpractice insurance, there’s also NASW professional liability insurance available for you.
As a student, you can also register as a member of the NASW and apply for social work student malpractice insurance. For a student to be eligible for membership , they must be enrolled in a Council on Social Work Education accredited social work degree program.
Do you use your personal car to meet clients, go to different job sites, and for other business purposes? If so, ditch your personal auto insurance because there’s a tailored social worker commercial auto insurance that protects you with:
Auto liability coverage
Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage
Physical damage coverage
Emergency roadside assistance
Working as a social worker means that you’ll need to visit multiple locations in a day. Driving can be tiring even if you’re just covering short distances. And when you’re tired, it’s more likely for you to cause an accident.
You’re liable for the injuries and damaged property of people involved in an accident in which you’re at fault. Paying for emergency treatment or reimbursements will be very costly. But if you have auto liability coverage, it will be very easy for you to shoulder expenses.
The job of auto liability coverage is to pay for the treatment of third parties you injured in a vehicular accident. For those who had their property damaged, auto liability coverage will reimburse what was spent for property repair or replacement.
You might be involved in an accident another driver caused. Of course, there won’t be problems if the person at fault is adequately covered with insurance. But if this isn’t the case, then you’ll have to pay the costs yourself.
Underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage will provide protection after you get involved in an accident caused by a driver that doesn’t have insurance or enough insurance. This insurance policy gives money you can use to pay for medication and other related expenses if the driver at fault can’t cover you with his insurance policy.
It’s not bad to insure your vehicle against damage. As a social worker, you’ll look more professional if the car you’re driving stays looking brand new. To avoid losing money when replacing or repairing the damage components of your car, consider getting physical damage coverage.
Physical damage coverage comes in two types, collision and comprehensive. Collision physical damage coverage takes care of damages your car incurred after colliding with a vehicle or object on the road. By the way, we want to inform you that collision physical damage coverage won’t cover your car if damage is caused by hitting a wild animal such as a deer or moose.
Comprehensive physical damage, on the other hand, takes care of damage to your personal car not caused by a collision. Your car might get burned, damaged by thieves or vandals, or battered by extreme weather; comprehensive physical damage coverage provides money for vehicle parts repair or replacement as caused by these perils.
Your car might experience issues while running, and the trip might get interrupted as a result. There’s no problem if your engagement for the day isn’t very important. However, if you’re traveling to attend an important event, meeting, or activity, you’ll be forced to spend money to resume the trip.
Emergency roadside assistance can help. The purpose of this inclusion in commercial auto insurance is to reimburse what you spent for battery jump start service, battery replacement, tire replacement and delivery, tire repair, or gas delivery. If ever you need to stay where your car experienced issues, then emergency roadside assistance will also reimburse lodging expenses.
Car insurance for social workers costs around $151 every month or $1,812 per year depending on various different factors.
If you think that commercial auto insurance is too expensive, then hear this. Insurance companies have a lot of discounts you can avail yourself to save on premiums. If your driving record is clean, you’ll be eligible for a safe driving discount that will cut 5% - 7% on car insurance rates. There are also brand new cars and low mileage discounts that will make your insurance premiums 3% - 5% cheaper.
Generally, social workers' liability insurance is $69 per month or $828 a year for a $1 million general liability coverage. The amount you pay depends on your carrier, location, prior history of making claims, etc.
For further reference, here’s a table showing the best carriers for social work liability insurance as well as other related policies.
| | Monthly Rate | Annual Rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| CoverWallet | $65.66 | $787.92 | Social work insurance quote comparison online |
| Thimble | $78 | $936 | Short term malpractice insurance for social workers |
| Hiscox | $82 | $984 | General liability and professional liability insurance for social workers |
Has an online quote comparison tool for social worker insurance
Offers bundled professional liability and malpractice insurance for social workers
Doesn’t underwrite its own insurance policies
CoverWallet is an online quote comparison platform that customizes the insurance policies of its partners to provide coverage for social workers. With CoverWallet, you can get social worker insurance having professional liability and malpractice coverages, which is very easy to purchase and manage.
Best for: Online social worker insurance quote comparison
Average cost: $65.66 per month
Our rating: 10/10
Offers the best short term malpractice insurance for social workers
Doesn’t offer policies in bundles
Thimble doesn’t have social worker insurance. However, its malpractice insurance is available for all professions and so, this company can still cover you from risks. Thimble’s malpractice insurance will take care of arbitration, representation and court fees, settlement, and compensatory costs. You might like this company as you can get its malpractice insurance as a short term policy.
Best for: Short term malpractice insurance for social workers and other professions
Average cost: $78 per month
Our rating: 9/10
Offers general liability insurance and professional liability insurance for social workers
Professional liability insurance comes with sexual harassment coverage
Doesn’t offer malpractice insurance for social workers
Hiscox doesn't offer malpractice insurance. However, it has a tailored insurance product for social workers having professional liability insurance and general liability insurance. If you’re looking for a company that offers generous policy limits, then go for Hiscox. The best thing about Hiscox’s social worker insurance is that it comes with professional liability coverage that takes care of sexual misconduct, which is great because usually, professional liability insurance excludes sexual harassment.
Best for: General liability and professional liability insurance for social workers
Average cost: $82 per month
Our rating: 8/10
Social workers need to have at least $1 million malpractice insurance coverage. Note that it’s possible to get $500,000 coverage only. However, this doesn’t provide comprehensive protection against accusation of negligence or errors and omissions.
Unlike electricians or plumbers, social workers don’t need to follow any insurance requirements to get or maintain their license. Nonetheless, contracts with clients or employers might command the purchasing of specific insurance policies. And so, consider getting $1 million general liability insurance as most contracts require this.
We can help you make the smartest buying decision. On this page is a free social worker insurance quote generator. Just click or tap the “Get Quotes” button and provide the necessary details. Afterward, you’ll receive the most affordable and comprehensive quotes from the best carriers.
Also, don't forget to leave a review here upon buying your insurance policy; Provide insightful social work malpractice insurance reviews and protect others from insurance companies that milk customers for their money!
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