“I Get No Respect I tell Ya… I Get No Respect”
It seems that most people only think about social workers when the media runs another story about a child dying at the hands of their neglectful or abusive parents. Every time, the authorities are judged to have failed, the social worker is usually at the front of the queue as the blame is assigned. Although public services need to be held to account, these tragedies make easy headlines and it is too simplistic to always lay the fault at the foot of an individual social worker.
This kind of publicity has cast a negative pall over the entire profession. Not unlike school teachers, social workers get little respect.
Perhaps they get no respect because the work they do primarily impacts those on the margins of society.
Perhaps they get no respect because the main stream of society has no idea what they actually do.
Perhaps they get no respect because they "don’t polish their own medals," as my grandmother often said.
Whatever the cause of this injustice, bad press has had a negative impact on the profession.
- Constant negative media coverage causes high staff turnover. Idealistic young recruits are surprised by the low morale they often experience in the public social work sector. The private social work sector seems to be immune to negative press, and many young social workers migrate quickly to the private sector.
- Relentless blame creates a barrier of mistrust that fuels hostility towards social workers. Working in a culture of criticism creates anxiety. The fear of being subjected to reflexive negative judgment is omnipresent and can distort the ability to make careful, balanced risk assessments.
- Risk has to be managed and is rarely eliminated, sometimes decisions about risk of harm to children becomes entangled with reputational risk to the organization. This can lead to risk-averse practice which is not in the child’s best interests. Good practice cannot thrive in a culture of blame and fear.
We must redouble our efforts to change the public image of our social workers. Let’s start by educating the public about what social workers actually do.
Social workers support thousands of isolated families in poverty and on the margins of society. They prevent violence in the home; enable people to parent safely while they manage drugs, alcohol misuse, mental and physical health difficulties and much more.
This is the story that social workers need to tell on their own behalf. Too often, social workers themselves are reluctant to recount their success stories because they don’t want to call attention to themselves. Whether this instinct is humility or wisdom, I am not sure, but I do know that we need to begin changing the negative image that has grown through the dissemination of sensational stories that feed the media.
Here’s the heart of the message. Social workers join the profession to help, not harm.They are overworked, not paid much, and blamed for every societal failure. We only notice them when the media runs a sensational story that lays the blame at their feet.
We must not fail this critical profession. They deserve and need our appreciation and admiration.
Global Vision works with many social workers who serve the vulnerable, and we applaud the hard work, time and effort they put in on a daily basis.
