By pinpointing the key components relating to Social Work, one could consider the profession over-wrought with ‘stressors’. The institution itself is ‘dynamic’ in the fact that it is constantly changing. New legislation is introduced into the system, which, at times, appears to create conflicts in Social Work practices, for instance, between needs and rights of service users. The recent introduction of the Human Rights Act created ‘uncertainties’ for Social Workers and service users alike.
‘The pressure to accommodate to legislative changes and government philosophy can easily lead to neglect of purposes inspired by the professional value base and to unquestioning practice, unless space for debate is created’. Braye and Preston Shoot (1999).
It would be misleading to suggest that the number of reforms, aimed at establishing equality of opportunities and rights between different ‘groups’ of people, did not help to break down ‘stereotypical roles’ associated with employment however, Phillipson (1992) suggests that social welfare organisations ‘maintain the gendering of society’, and Dutt (1990) emphasises that ‘White power and privilege in relationships with black people… still underpin law and practices’. Dutt (1990). Of disabled people Dalrymple and Burke emphasise ‘Even enlightened local authorities with clear equal opportunity statements often have municipal buildings which are inaccessible and support inadequate public transport systems.’ Dalrymple and Burke (2000). Redress for discrimination on grounds of race, gender or disability is still dependant upon an individual being prepared to pursue a case, if a challenge is forthcoming. The categorising of individuals based on physical characteristics applies extra pressure and stress on Social Workers and can have traumatic repercussions.
The various challenges that Social Work offers, is often one of the principle facets, which draw people into the profession however, Katz and Wykes suggest that generally, some people find it difficult to cope with uncertainty and that this, in turn, can cause stress Katz and Wykes (85) in Malim & Birch (98). Professor Michael Marmot of University College in London has been studying the effects of stress for many years. He believes people who lack control in their jobs are likely to have health problems related to stress. It could be argued that Social Workers are controlled by several sources; firstly by the organisational structures, secondly by what resources are available and thirdly; by decreased autonomy and increased responsibility. Researchers found stress levels for staff were high because of lack of resources, not the nature of the job. Challenges such as dealing with difficult clients were the ‘….major source of job satisfaction, where teams had the resources to meet clients' needs'. (Community Care Magazine, 09/02/95) Many Social Workers feel they have divided loyalties, being no longer clear whether they serve individuals or the organisation. This in turn influences their work, stress levels and resultant staffing problems. Johnson and Sarenson (78) recognized individual differences in reaction to ‘stress’ and identified a higher rate of stress related symptoms amongst those who were controlled by external forces. Within the organisation, Social Workers often feel obligated to relieve the pressures associated with ‘long’ waiting lists of people awaiting an assessment and often bear large caseloads without the protection of a ‘predictable’ timetable. These features can increase the natural tendency towards stress and depression.
A briefing note prepared for a Scottish Parliamentary debate on 13th. January 2000, carried out by the NISW Workforce Study group, indicated that 62% of Social Work staff in England had suffered work related stress in 1998. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland were 50% and 31% respectively. While caution should be exercised when using statistics such as these as ‘evidence to the cause’ one could argue that the statistics could be much higher than stated. Many Social Workers may be loath to admit they are suffering from stress in the fear that they will then be considered as ‘not up to the job’. In the light of such statistics alongside an out-of-court settlement of £175.000 to an area manager for a Northumberland Social Services, who is said to have suffered two mental breakdowns forcing him into early retirement due to stress, initiatives are being implemented to manage stress in the workplace. The development of effective interventions will be challenging. With this in mind, one could expect that the needs of all who work in the realm of Social services, regardless of status, alongside all the theories relating to the causes of stress, be taken into account before initiating mechanisms to manage it. At the time of writing however, an initiative has been implemented in Buckinghamshire, intended to make Social Workers feel more valued, which appears not to have taken into account either of the above. An increase in salary alongside an elevated position within the grading system for qualified Social Workers, has caused much anxiety to those who are not qualified, such as Social Work Assistants, Care Workers and Student Social Workers, who, as such, have ‘fell short’ of ‘recognition’. The authority appear to have totally disregarded their contribution to the organisation as a whole, many who have additional pressures from other sources, and, as a result, have been left feeling professionally deflated and undervalued, a primary source of stress.
It has been said that ‘immediate’ reactions to stress are fairly similar in type across a broad spectrum of people, but that long-term effects can vary considerably, dependant on biological, psychosocial and/or economic factors. This is pertinent to the diverse variety of Social Workers and suggests that certain workers are more likely to experience risks of diseases as a result of characteristics such as age, race, genetic susceptibility, disability, language, literacy, culture and income. Whilst there is no ‘hard’ evidence that stress can cause conditions such as heart failure, the British Heart Foundation recognises that work pressures were ‘…forcing people to take shorter lunch breaks, to eat pre-prepared, unhealthy food and indulge in other unhealthy behaviour’, all of which are said to add to the risk of developing cardiac related problems. Lunch breaks, if taken at all in Social Work, are often chances to ‘catch up’ on a backlog of paperwork, input data onto the computer or to read and respond to emails.
With this in mind, one could consider whether it is actually possible to incorporate a ‘global’ strategy for managing stress in the Social Workers? Should strategies for dealing with stress be tailored to different ‘populations’ within the organisation? What training and other prevention strategies are most effective for Social Workers for whom English in not a native language or who have limited physical abilities, or for Social Workers of different races, ages, cultures and socio-economic circumstances? The development of effective intervention prevention strategies will, undoubtedly require innovative approaches.
References:
BANYARD, Phillip (1999) in Skills Development Handbook. BCUC.
BRAYE, Suzy and PRESTON-SHOOT, Michael (1999), Empowering Practice in Social Care. Open University Press, Buckingham, Philadelphia.
DALRYMPLE, Jane and BURKE, Beverley (2000), Anti-oppressive Practice. Social Care and the Law. Open University Press, Buckingham, Philadelphia.
DAVIES, Martin (1997) The Blackwell Companion to Social Work. Blackwell, Oxford.
DUTT (1990) in BRAYE, Suzy and PRESTON-Shoot, Michael (1999) Empowering Practice in Social Care. Open University Press, Buckingham, Philadelphia.
JOHNSON and SARENSON (78) in Skills Development Handbook. BCUC.
KATZ and WYKES (85) in Skills Development Handbook. BCUC.
MALIM, Tony and BIRCH, Anne (1998) Introductory Psychology. Palgrave Macmillan
MOORE, Stephen (1993), Social Welfare Alive. Thornes, Cheltenham
NEWTON, Tim; HANDY, Jocelyn and FINNIGAN, Steven (1995) Managing Stress. Emotion and Power at work. Sage Publications Ltd
PHILLIPSON (1992) in Skills Development Handbook. BCUC.
Internet Resources
Stress at Work. NISW Briefing No.12 (online) available from accessed 25th. January 2002.
Stress case victory poses payout problem; Community Care-Archive Article (online) available from accessed 02nd. Febuary 2002.
Violence towards staff working in Social Services (online) available from accessed 25th January 2002.
Work Related Stress, Unison Legal Briefs (online) available from accessed 25th. January 2002.