By Lucy Caulkett-
Forty percent social workers expect to quit social services within the next five years due to high caseloads, stress and a negative working environment, according to research for Social Work England published today.
The findings of the research explains numerous disciplinary actions taken against social workers by their regulator, The Health And Care Profession Council (HCPC), which has punished hundreds of social workers over the years- kicking many out for incompetence and deception following disciplinary hearings.
The study conducted in April and early May, just after the Uk went into lockdown revealed mixed feelings by social workers about the profession, but notably that 39% of social workers expect to leave the profession within the next 5 years; children and family social workers most expressing plans to leave. High workload accompanied by poor health (32%), and poor work/ life balance was presented as the main reason fed up social workers plan to leave the profession.
Although 89% of social workers said they were motivated by the desire to make a difference, only 26% said they would recommend social work to a family member. A disappointing 56% of current social workers believe their training prepared them for the job when they first qualified, while 42% found the training they received either ‘very good’ or ‘fairly good’. A majority of social work students were satisfied with their course; 67% of them indicating content with their experience, but 76% concluding that 76% of society do not respect the profession. of
Negative Media
Many participants of the survey felt that negative media around social workers was responsible for the negative perception. Eight in ten (82%) think that the social work profession is portrayed negatively in the media, though they made no reference for the legitimacy of the coverage in such news coverage.
Most of the respondents said they felt strongly that social workers are providing an essential service (96%) and play a unique role in society (92%). A high 77% said they were unable to help people as much as they wanted to, with a similar proportion saying they felt excessive pressure in their job, with 85% blaming stress. 33% of social workers though children’s practitioners were more severely affected, with 33% reporting being very stressed and 55% fairly stressed, compared with 28% and 54% respectively for adults’ practitioners.
A focus on targets was responsible for the stress, instead of resolving issues for people, 56% of respondents said. 48% felt overwhelmed by high caseloads due to an inability to refer people to other services.Practitioners reported carrying out admin, such as writing up notes and preparing for court, as well as training in the evenings and weekends, to avoid taking time away from service users.
Though both men (82%) and women (86%) reported stress, women were more likely to cite administrative burdens (65% of those reporting stress, compared with 53% for men) and feeling emotionally overwhelmed by cases as causes (48% compared with 33%).
The complaints of stress is at odds with research from the British Association of Social Workers w (BASW) ,which found that “social workers spend close to 80% of their time on their computer, a researcher from Mayday Social Consultancy anonymously told The Eye Of Media.Com.
”Spending so much time on computers, when added to the time spent on visits and preparing court cases, means they have less time on meaningful social work with children and their families”, she said. Many social workers dealing with children don’t take time to know the children themselves, and personally assist with the difficulties they sometimes pose on their parents, and many times schools”, she added.
Lack Of Respect
Three-quarters of former, current and student practitioners felt that the profession was not respected by society, as a result of negative press and a lack of public understanding.
The report published on YouGov included online surveys of 494 existing practitioners, 135 former social workers and 48 students, reveals a wide level of discontent in the profession that calls for significant improvement in the profession.
Another research from Social Work England today found positive views of the profession among the public, with 88% of a sample of 1751 people saying that the profession was important in helping vulnerable people. 77% of those spoken to said it helped prevent children coming to harm , though 74% agreed the value of social work was not appreciated. This study was carried out between January and March of this year.
Responding to the two studies, Social Work England’s executive director of strategy, policy and engagement, Sarah Blackmore, said: “These research reports give us a unique insight into the evolution of our regulation right at the very start of our journey. The findings are not for us alone to solve or act on, but for the social work profession to own and address as one workforce with a shared goal to improve people’s lives.”
She added: “They immediately throw up questions for us around learning and how we can further build and refine our approach to continuing professional development (CPD) over our first three years, for example. We also have greater insight as to how we engage with social workers and the public and the role of the media in reinforcing or challenging perceptions.”