Approaching uncertainty in social work education, a lesson from COVID-19 pandemic

Afrouz, Rojan

doi:10.1177/1473325020981078

Cited by 36 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This acronym was widely used to describe the chaotic, turbulent, and rapidly changing business environment, but can also be used in other fields, such as education, healthcare or social protection, to enable a better understanding of the world [28]. The literature review for this study could not identify applications of the framework in social work, except one study on social work education [19]. Furthermore, the four attributes of VUCA were defined and illustrated with data from the existing literature on social work during the pandemic.…”

Section: The Vuca World Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Job Stress and Burnout among Social Workers in the VUCA World of COVID-19 Pandemic

2021

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This paper aimed to explore the changes posed by the new COVID-19 pandemic to the field of social work and its impact on social workers in terms of job stress and burnout in Romania. Two conceptual models were used to frame the discussion: the theoretical framework of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) to discuss the challenges that the unprecedented context of the COVID-19 pandemic has created for social workers; and the Job Demands and Resources model (JD-R) to understand job demands perceived as stressors and burnout. Based on convergent mixed methods, the study sample consisted of 83 social workers employed in statutory and private social services in Romania, from different areas of intervention. Results showed that social workers perceived a high level of job stress related to work during the pandemic, which was associated with higher levels of burnout in the areas of personal burnout (average score 55.9) and work-related burnout (average score 52.5). Client-related burnout was lower (average score 38.4), indicating that stress was generated mainly by organisational factors and work-related factors (workload, aligning to new legislative rules and decisions, inconsistency, instability, ambiguity of managerial decisions, and lack of clarity of working procedures) and less by client-related stressors (lack of direct contact with clients, risk of contamination, managing beneficiaries’ fears, and difficulties related to technology). High job demands and limited job resources (managerial and supervisory support, financial resources, and recognition and reward) led to a high to very high level of work-related burnout for 15.7% and an upper-medium level for 44.2% of respondents. A group of 27.7% reported lower to medium levels of work-related burnout, while 14.5% had very low levels, managing to handle stress factors in a healthy manner. Study results pointed to the importance of organisational support and the development of a self-care plan that help to protect against job stress and burnout. Recommendations were made, putting forward the voice of fieldworkers and managers fostering initiatives and the application of sustainability-based measures and activities designed to deal with the challenges of the VUCA environment.

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Section: The Vuca World Of Covid-19 Pandemic In Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…National and international literature on social work during the pandemic is emerging, though there is still much to be understood [4][5][6][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. This paper reported on results from an ongoing mixed-methods study on social workers during the pandemic in Romania.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Job Stress and Burnout among Social Workers in the VUCA World of COVID-19 Pandemic

2021

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“…Reflexive processes are considered a crucial strategy for socio-educational workers dealing with uncertain, complex, ambiguous, and unpredictable situations (Spafford et al, 2007;Afrouz, 2021). Reflexive processes are also helpful in managing the financial insecurity of the profession (Werzelen et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introduction Professional Self Well-being and Teamsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting Team Reflexivity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of Multi-Vision Groups In-person and Online

Parrello

Fenizia²,

Gentile³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychol.

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Introduction: The professional self is often hindered by a lack of self-care and poor work-life balance, and cannot be considered an unlimited resource. Given this, the reflexive team is an important organizational tool for protecting workers' well-being. The non-profit organization Maestri di Strada (MdS) (“Street Teachers”) conducts action research (AR) in the area of socio-education. The main tool used by the group to protect the well-being of its members is a guided reflexivity group, inspired by the Balint Group and termed the Multi-Vision Group (MG). In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the MdS team had to quickly revamp its working model, and MGs were held online for the first time.Aim: Through qualitative research that takes a longitudinal approach, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the MG in supporting the team's reflexivity in this new online format.Methods: This article considers MGs during two different time periods: pre-pandemic (T1) and early pandemic (T2). During T1, the MdS team met 18 times in person, while during T2 the team met 12 times through an online platform (always under the guidance of a psychotherapist). During all sessions in both time periods, a silent observer was present in the meetings, and they subsequently compiled narrative reports. The textual corpora of the reports were submitted for a Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts through T-Lab Plus, in order to examine the main content of the groups' discourse.Results: The results (five clusters in T1; and five in T2) show that, during T2, the group devoted considerable time to experiences tied to the pandemic (T21: schools facing the pandemic crisis; T2.2: the pandemic: death, inner worlds, and thought resistance; T2.3: kids' stories involving physical distancing and emotional proximity). The group also came up with innovative educational initiatives that defied the lockdown (T2.4: fieldwork: the delivery of “packages of food for thought”; T2.5: the MdS group: identity and separation). Based on these findings, the MG most likely contributed to the emergence of MdS as a “resilient community,” capable of absorbing the shock of the pandemic and realizing a fast recovery response.

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“…Therefore, glocal action by social work stakeholders in practice, education and research is called for (Amadasun, 2020). As it is still difficult to predict when the pandemic will be completely over (or whether people need to live with it), it is imperative to consider how we can conduct international social work research in this uncertain world (Afrouz, 2021). This paper examines these issues through a case study of bilateral cooperation on international joint research between Sri Lanka and Japan.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Challenges of International Social Work Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learnt from A Bilateral Collaborative Study

Higashida

Ranaweera²

2021

ASWJ

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The COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a profound impact on people’s lives around the world, has also affected international social work practice and research on social issues. This article explores how international social work research can draw lessons from bilateral research collaborations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, an international collaborative research project was commenced to examine the practical experiences of social workers in Sri Lanka, with the overall purpose of contributing to development of socio-culturally relevant social work training. Trial semi-structured interviews were conducted using remote tools with five social workers in government or private organisations. The narratives of the interviewees were qualitatively analysed to identify their personal backgrounds of social work education and practice, their experiences of working during the pandemic and their perspectives and values as social workers. Lessons learnt were discussed focussing on the objectives and perspectives of the study, the preliminary arrangements for the research, the methods and considerations. In a context where it is important for social work researchers to promote international studies during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper provides an example of a feasible international cooperative study.

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Approaching uncertainty in social work education, a lesson from COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 36 publications

References 18 publications

Job Stress and Burnout among Social Workers in the VUCA World of COVID-19 Pandemic

Job Stress and Burnout among Social Workers in the VUCA World of COVID-19 Pandemic

Supporting Team Reflexivity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of Multi-Vision Groups In-person and Online

Challenges of International Social Work Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learnt from A Bilateral Collaborative Study

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