Social workers are under huge pressure. They can't rely on their resilience alone

The word “resilience” is increasingly being used in social work to refer to the idea of an individual professional’s innate strength. This strength enables them to recover from any trauma and stress they may experience when working with people, leading them to develop a range of “coping strategies” to negate the negative effects of their role.

Given the continuing problems of recruitment and retention, it is clear something is required to stem the flow of workers leaving the profession, to slow down the speed of burnout – currently estimated at seven years – and to reduce the reported increase in numbers taking long-term sick leave.

Stress and burnout are unsurprising given the nature of the issues social workers come into contact with on a daily basis: child abuse, adult abuse, homelessness, depression and poverty to mention just a few. These, alongside an over bureaucratised system, cutbacks and the seemingly consistent condemnation by the media, government and wider society, has had a weakening effect on the profession.

A major review by Prof Eileen Munro in 2011 outlined the multiple issues facing social work. The study was accepted by both government and the profession as providing a good framework for positive change. However, with a change of government and the comings and goings of relevant MPs, many of her recommendations have been only half-heartedly introduced. Instead, the implementation of whole system change appears to be moving ever closer to focusing on the innate abilities of the individual social worker, rather than the complex interconnections between the wider environment and the professional.

Resilience has come to be seen as something of a panacea for social work. The profession’s regulator, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), stipulates that resilience is something practitioners need to build if they are to be considered “fit to practise”.

This seems to place a lot of attention on the capability of the individual worker, which many in the profession are happy to accept. However, it could also provide a smokescreen, preventing deeper analysis of the organisational and political context of practice.

For example, focusing on the potential failings of an individual social worker to build resilience will do nothing to address the structural issues that impact on practitioners’ and service users’ lives. Factors such as poverty, cuts in mental health services, a fragmented system of care and a lack of affordable or suitable long-term housing solutions are major issues that have a corrosive effect on professionals’ resilience as they work to promote change without adequate support at a political or economic level.

The relationship between the individual and the structural context of their practice cannot be ignored, especially as increasingly there is an expectation that resilient social workers will create resilient service users.

The perception of resilience as both an indispensable professional trait and a method of working with those who require support is troubling, and does a disservice to those unable to demonstrate such hardiness on a day-to-day basis. The harsh reality of working and living in a culture of individual blame and austerity is for many relentless and unforgiving.

There is a risk that those unable to demonstrate enough resilience could be silenced. Their silence could diminish society’s ability to challenge the status quo, as individuals seek to draw on their internal resources alone, rather than collectively try to challenge the political, structural and economic issues that may impact adversely on them.

Ultimately, both workers and service users could potentially find themselves in a heightened state of anxiety, as they strive to accept their lot, and be resilient.

Be part of our research

Social workers’ experience of resilience, as both a professional tool and a requisite, is vital to understanding its place and meaning in practice.

Plymouth University wants to hear from HCPC-registered social workers in the first phase of research. We are asking for participants to complete a short survey, which asks about your role, your understanding of resilience and your experience of its application.

All responses to this survey are anonymous; click here to take part.

• Di Galpin is academic lead for social work at the University of Plymouth, where Annastasia Maksymluk and Andy Whiteford are both lecturers
  

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