Social workers are the backbone of society. They are there when others aren’t and are committed to the overall betterment of their communities. But their jobs don’t come without challenges, and if you’re considering becoming a social worker, it would help you to know what these challenges are and how you can overcome them.
What social workers do
Social workers do a lot! So before we can define their exact roles, we must define what social work entails. At the core of what social work entails is essentially working within a community to improve the general state of living, address the challenges in life that many people face, such as poverty, abuse, and mental health issues. or basic needs and human rights.
Practically, social workers would be the individuals who identify these needs and work with others to create a plan to address them. Whether this involves them organising sponsorship for food parcels, visiting those who are lonely and need assistance, removing kids from abusive homes, or even making sure the community has working infrastructure, social workers aim to make a real difference in their communities.
The challenges to social work
As you can imagine, with work thats in the middle of the hardship of others, there are likely to be challenges, and there are! These are some of the challenges that social workers face on a day-to-day basis:
Burn out
Burnout is a real issue that social workers can face. The reason that burnout is such a prevelant issue is because most social workers don’t even know that they’re burnt out. Social work is extremely consistent, peoples needs don’t stop when you’re tired, and the hungry don’t get fed without someone feeding them.
Because of this, social workers are required to go, go, go, because if they stop in some cases, it could mean that someone goes hungry that night. While this is an admirable quality, it’s a counterproductive approach. Burnout can lead to you getting sick and being forced to take even more time off, which could put people in a more difficult stop. So, it’s in your best interest and your communities for you to take a break. Here are some ways to avoid burnout:
- Learn to say no when necessary
- Take breaks often and get away from the community so your mind has some time to relax
- Keep up your physical health
- Meet with a therapist to help you process what you see
Challenging clients
Another challenge that social workers face is dealing with challenging clients. They might experience a client resisting help, acting harshly towards them, or presenting other difficult behaviour that makes it difficult for you to work with them. The struggle here is that you need to remain patient, professional, and empathetic so that you have the capacity to help them.
Balancing cases
Like we said earlier, there is a ton of social need out there and not enough social workers to do it all. This leads to social workers having to pack on the workload, taking cases that they might not have the capacity for. Again, you have to do what you have to do, but balancing too many case loads can also be extremely challenging and can lead to burnout very easily.
A great way to manage your case load is to take an objective look at what your capacity is, and how many cases you can give your time and effort to properly. You don’t want to be giving half your attention to cases, so, be ruthless with your capacity and don’t exceed it.
Lack of support
A pressing issue with social workers all over the world is a lack of support, especially in third world countries were issues like poverty are more severe. Social workers need support from the superiors, those who work with them, and financial support to effectively do their job well. If they don’t have this support, the service they provide could be limited and they could struggle personally as professionals in the industry.
A solution for this: try to be proactive and source your own support. Join networking groups or support groups that cater for people in these roles. Source sponsorship from local business in the community.
Ethical issues
Because social workers are so embedded in their communities, they often encounter situations where there are different ethical obligations and decisions to be made. This can be challenging, especially since people look to your position for a solution. Here are some ways in which social workers deal with ethical issues:
- They have an ethics code to stick by
- Consult colleagues
- They consider the risks and benefits of each option
- They are open about their mistakes and work towards a solution with others
- They understand their own bias and work to factor it out
- They allow themselves to be held accountable
Study here
Social work is challenging, especially since you’re on the front lines of trying to improve society. Thankfully, you can prepare yourself with the skills to be an effective social worker by studying further. If you’re unsure of where to study, consider studying a masters of social work online through Canberra University. This way, you’ll have the freedom to get practical experience while studying.
Final thoughts
Any career has its challenges, but when you’re working with people and for the betterment of the community, the challenges can be different and more impactful because of their nature. If you’re thinking about a career in social work, consider the challenges above and how you can overcome them
