Ethical and human rights strain on social workers during Covid acknowledged by chief social worker for adults

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 18 May, 2022

England’s chief social worker for adults Lyn Romeo acknowledged the “unprecedented” ethical and human rights dilemmas faced by practitioners during the pandemic.

Romeo made the comments in her annual report reflecting on the last year of practice amid Covid restrictions.

She said: “Social work has always been at its best in dealing with uncertainty, ambiguity and crisis. However, the difficulties in accessing resources to support people have placed unprecedented strain on ethical decision-making and challenges the principles of human rights and social justice for those who we are here to serve.”

A report by BASW and academics from Durham University earlier this year titled Pandemic Ethics: rethinking rights, responsibilities and roles in social work, found social workers practicsing during the pandemic suffered “ethical distress”.

Examples include discharge of patients to care homes and restrictions on visiting vulnerable families.

Some social workers, said the paper published in the British Journal of Social Work, felt they had to “push back against new laws, procedures and guidance they judged unfair or damaging and implemented alternative solutions”.

In her report, Romeo went on to outline a more community-based, collaborative future to social work practice with adults.

She said: “What is clear is that there will be no return to the status quo after Covid.

“As we recover and grapple with the changes and the ‘new normal’, the challege for social work is to take a big leap forward by redesigning and reimagining practice working alongside people, their carers and the communities in which they live, to be ambitious for the best possible lives and outcomes for all.”

Romeo said collobration with health and community organisations had “shone a light on strength-based practice and the benefits of community-led, asset-based approaches to supporting people in achieving the changes that matter to them”.

Romeo acknowledged the impact of the last year on staff: “I am so grateful to everyone working in the social care sector, especially for their work over the past year during the pandemic.

“It continues to be a very long, hard road with everyone very tired, especially following the recent Omicron outbreaks which compounded the stress on the whole health, social care and public services system.

“I have been humbled by the efforts everyone has made to manage very challenging and uncertain times.”

Social workers were also praised by minister for care and mental health, Gillian Keegan. she said: "Covid-19 has touched all of us in different ways, but as social workers, you not only had personal experience, you also witnessed its often devastating effects on others. I deeply admire your hard work, tenacity, understanding and kindness to everyone around you.

"Along the way, I know many of you will have lost colleagues, friends, and family members to the virus. I hope the resilience, reflection and support of your profession has provided at least some comfort in those dark times."

Keegan added as the UK emerged from the pandemic and in the face of the war in Eastern Europe "we will be turning to the profession for advice, guidance, leadership and support. Social workers understand the human condition, and the individual in their social and physical context, but also the capacity for people to do great things for others. They bring out the best in us and long may they continue to do so."

Priorities for the year ahead outlined in the report include:

• A pandemic recovery plan
• Workforce training
• Social care reform
• Promoting and advising on investment in research, including further research for emerging issues
• Ensuring the voice of people with lived experiences is at the heart of practice and care
• Increasing the headcount of approved mental health professionals
• Promoting the value of social work mental health expertise
• Strengthening personalisation and choice within care and including people with lived experiences in designing new policy and guidance
• Promoting improved practice on equality, diversity and inclusion, including access to continued professional development for all social care staff.

In addition to the CSW report, Revisiting safeguarding practice guidance has also recently been published, encouraging practitioners and those responsible for adult safeguarding to reflect on and revisit their current practice.

BASW was singled out for praise in the report, which is published by the Department of Health and Social Care.

Work by BASW England on a pathway of development for social workers working with people with learning disabilities, and social work with autistic adults and their carers was highlighted as particularly strong.

Other examples of good work included:

• The development of guidance on how people with dementia can be supported with music therapies by Music for Dementia
• Research in Practice’s continued support of the implementation of the post-qualifying standards for supervisors
• Skills for Care’s roundtable on anti-racist social work in partnership with Social Work England
• The leadership impact of Principal Social Workers in supporting social workers and practice

The full report can be accessed here