By Andrew Young And Charlotte Webster-
A growing majority of children’s social workers are feeling overworked and stressed due to Covid-19, according to research from the Department of Education (DfE). Job satisfaction has also dropped, inevitably affecting the overall efficiency of children’s social services.
The study is being carried out by agency IFF Research and academics from Manchester Metropolitan and Salford universities.
Most social workers, 62%, thought the Covid-19 pandemic had limited the resources available to support children and families, with 76% highlighting increased flexibility including the right tools to do their jobs effectively during the second wave. 57% said that the IT systems and software supported them to do their jobs, compared to 49% in 2020.
More than half of respondents (59%) felt that relationships with colleagues had worsened as a result of Covid-19.
Researchers also said that the pandemic was likely to have contributed to a drop in practitioners’ sense of achievement from work, to 77% in wave three, from 79% in wave two and 83% in wave one.
Most social workers, 62%, thought the Covid-19 pandemic had limited the resources available to support children and families. 57% said that the IT systems and software supported them to do their jobs, compared to 49% a year earlier.
The proportion of practitioners feeling stressed and overworked grew prior to the pandemic and over the course of the three waves in the Uk.
Almost 75% of respondents from wave three felt work-related stress had increased as a result of Covid-19, while over two-thirds of social workers said anxiety, complexity of cases, and workloads, had all risen due to the pandemic. The problem was particularly acute for practitioners on their ASYE and those with two-to-three years’ experience, for whom 82% and 81% respectively said Covid had increased work-related stress.
The third wave of the longitudinal study of local authority child and family social workers has been keeping track of children’s practitioner for the past 5 years.
Researchers found that 60% of correspondents felt stressed by their job, up from 56% in wave two (for which research was conducted from September 2019 to January 2020).
58% of social workers felt their overall workload was too high, up from 54% in wave two and 51% in wave one. This was despite the fact that the average number of full-time cases fell to 18 in wave three from 19 in waves one and two.
55% felt they were being asked to fulfil too many roles in their job at wave three, the same as wave two but far higher than wave one (48%).
Satisfaction
The study revealed that 72% were satisfied with their job, compared with 73% in wave two and 74% in wave one. However, among respondents who completed all three waves, satisfaction had dropped significantly, from 76% to 71% since wave one.
The first wave had 5,621 respondents, almost one in six of local authority practitioners. Of these, 3,099 completed the second survey, as did an additional 256 social workers on their assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE).
Of those who completed wave two, 2,240 completed wave three, as did 283 practitioners on their ASYE. Researchers said the survey was designed to track practitioners’ experiences as they moved through their careers, so changes between years may reflect the respondents’ career development, rather than broader changes to the state of the workforce.
Frontline practitioners were more likely than average to report stress (68%, compared with 60% overall), though team managers were more likely to say their workloads were too high (69%, compared with the 58% average) and that they were asked to fulfil too many different roles (62% compared with 55%).
Qualitative research suggested that managers could feel overworked due to the increased intensity of managing teams in a more virtual way due to Covid-19.
The findings on anxiety and case complexity were reflected in the qualitative interviews. Some interviewees said it took more time for referrals to come through so the risk was higher by the time they reached them. And respondents said it was taking longer to progress and close cases, as support services were less accessible and risk assessment was more challenging under the Covid-19 restrictions.
Qualitative interviews found that key features of working culture that could improve retention were a supportive working environment, feeling valued by your line manager, being trusted to make professional judgments and scope for development and reflective practice.
Inadequate support
John McGowan, general secretary of the Social Workers Union, said employers did not provide his organization’s members with the support they needed during Covid-19’s second wave, when the wave three survey was carried out, as caseloads rose in number and complexity.
“Even more of our members were saying they were looking to change their career. There was more local authorities recruiting non-permanent staff,” he said.
“There continued in the second wave, and up until recently, inadequate support for social workers who are dealing with grief and personal situations. The counselling services to workers were just overwhelmed. Local authorities could not get them appointments to deal with their own grief.”
The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) reiterated its longstanding calls for a national social work recruitment and retention campaign, to tackle pre-Covid challenges in holding onto staff and the “fatigue” felt by the workforce as a result of the pandemic.
“The whole workforce has been under immense pressure since the outbreak of the pandemic,” said Rachael Wardell, chair of ADCS’ workforce development policy committee.
“For some, the transition to remote working has been difficult as well as the long-term impact of being away from friends and colleagues but we know it has been particularly challenging for new people entering the workforce.”
She added: “Councils are doing all they can to put in place the necessary support to make this easier to ensure that staff receive the support they need. As the report notes, we are seeing more complex cases as the real impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable children is starting to become increasingly apparent. We anticipate that the number of children and families requiring our support will significanntly increase over the next year and beyond, with a greater complexity of need.”
The findings 0f the research calls for special focus in addressing the challenges facing children’s social workers, if they are to be effective in their profession.
Several families who have had contact with social workers have complained of inefficiency and incompetence of social workers in dealing with their family situations.