Abstract
Title: Working during the Covid-19 pandemic: practitioner perspectives on the impact of lockdown and social distancing on social work practice.
Context: The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Spring 2020, presented significant challenges for health and social care providers. Significant organisational changes were required to ensure social work services could be maintained to support those most in need. This posed complex challenges for practitioners with a move to remote working. Social workers also had to respond to additional needs exacerbated by the pandemic. Despite these challenging conditions, changes to service delivery resulted in some benefits to practice with service users.
Method: A saturation sampling technique was employed followed by an online survey of Trust social workers. 94 social workers completed the survey; half of the respondents worked in children’s services, and half worked in adult services.
Analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and qualitative data analysed thematically using NVivo.
Results: 60% of respondents experienced changes to their role during the pandemic. One-third were unable to work at some time during the pandemic. Benefits and disadvantages of remote/home working were identified. Access to mobile phones, laptops and other technological materials was a significant factor in retaining contact with service users. Social workers reported the most prominent issues that affected service users during the pandemic within adult services were mental health, lack of respite care and access to ‘informal’ care arrangements. In children’s services, challenges included home schooling, managing behaviour, mental ill health, lack of respite, and restricted access to services. Social work functions were impacted by changes to roles, staff shortages, guidance around work practices, increasing caseloads with limited resources, and increasing needs of service users. Not all changes to practice were negative, some respondents reflected on the ways in which social work practice improved during the pandemic. Services adapted, and ways of working became more flexible and efficient in response to the lockdown challenges.
Context: The global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Spring 2020, presented significant challenges for health and social care providers. Significant organisational changes were required to ensure social work services could be maintained to support those most in need. This posed complex challenges for practitioners with a move to remote working. Social workers also had to respond to additional needs exacerbated by the pandemic. Despite these challenging conditions, changes to service delivery resulted in some benefits to practice with service users.
Method: A saturation sampling technique was employed followed by an online survey of Trust social workers. 94 social workers completed the survey; half of the respondents worked in children’s services, and half worked in adult services.
Analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS and qualitative data analysed thematically using NVivo.
Results: 60% of respondents experienced changes to their role during the pandemic. One-third were unable to work at some time during the pandemic. Benefits and disadvantages of remote/home working were identified. Access to mobile phones, laptops and other technological materials was a significant factor in retaining contact with service users. Social workers reported the most prominent issues that affected service users during the pandemic within adult services were mental health, lack of respite care and access to ‘informal’ care arrangements. In children’s services, challenges included home schooling, managing behaviour, mental ill health, lack of respite, and restricted access to services. Social work functions were impacted by changes to roles, staff shortages, guidance around work practices, increasing caseloads with limited resources, and increasing needs of service users. Not all changes to practice were negative, some respondents reflected on the ways in which social work practice improved during the pandemic. Services adapted, and ways of working became more flexible and efficient in response to the lockdown challenges.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Impact of pandemic on social work practice |
| Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 6 Apr 2022 |
