What Challenges can Social Workers Face?
Being a social worker is tough. You’ve got so much to think about and many different situations to encounter- it is completely understandable that in this particular industry, there is a considerable set of challenges to face.
Social workers can often come up against a lot which can make it a little more difficult to analyse a situation and assess what is really going on. Let’s take a look at the top challenges together, so you can support people where possible.
No Training
One of the biggest issues ever faced by social workers is that they come into an industry and immediately face problems in the form of not having adequate training. There are situations which social workers are faced with that no amount of textbook training can prepare them to handle. This purely comes from experience and on the job learning.
The nature of the job being this way can make things more difficult. This is particularly the case when staff members are required to seamlessly integrate into the different processes and way of working of the many councils and work offices they might come across.
No Warnings
It’s often the case that in a critical situation, replacement staff are sent into work with support workers inside their communities. In the instances that social workers are sent into jobs at a later point, there can be a lack of accurate warning and preparation towards the exact nature of a situation.
There are times when a situation may be volatile when you first arrive, and if you haven’t been warned about this, it can cause hasty actions or decisions to be made that compromise a case. Despite their training, social workers need continuous support and excellent communication throughout their jobs to ensure their own safety and success.
Unpredictable Lifestyle
Being a social worker requires you to have a level of understanding that the life that you’re leading can be unpredictable. It is necessary for those working in this role to accept that unpredictability is part of the job (but this doesn’t take away the frustration surrounding it).
There may be times that you are working on a case and making excellent progress when you are are removed and place elsewhere on a more pressing issue. At times, you may feel disappointed or frustrated at the inability to fully see a case through to a successful resolution- however, it is important to recognise that this is sometimes the case and put your positive focus and energy into your next environment.
By ensuring proper communication across the social service division, it’s possible to give them a little bit more in the way of structure and knowledge. If social workers know that they’re going to be redeployed in two days, then they have time to try and finish off as they can in that period.
It’s important to recognise and look out for the challenges that are being faced by modern social workers. It’s already a challenging industry and there may be a shared feeling of struggles amongst your teams. Understanding what challenges they face is important for providing them with the support that they need. Everything that you do should be to make sure that they have access to the incredible levels of support that they deserve.
