‘Memories from the Forgotten Frontline.’ Social Worker’s Reflections on Shifting Practices of Work, Home and Belonging during Covid-19

Abstract

This article documents a creative and participatory research project with social workers that took place online during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Thirty-three social workers contributed images and captions to one or more of the four project themes: (i) Belonging and Connection; (ii) Health and Wellbeing; (iii) Home and Away and (iv) Loss and Change. The website became a digital archive of the contributions and a physical exhibition also took place to provide further opportunities for reflection. Contributions together demonstrate shifting subjectivities and everyday practices of social work professionals during this time: there were new possibilities for leisure, exercise, creativity and self-care, held alongside challenging experiences of isolation, increased regulatory practices and premature loss. As such, this article is revealing of the human stories of everyday life in the pandemic, documenting changing social worker practices of work, home and belonging.