What does it mean to be a social worker?
Jaison Musindo, a practising social worker and researcher. Jaison has contributed a poem to this issue of PSW exploring the competing pressures and rewards of the role.
He said: “I wrote the poem because I thought how at times writing lengthy sentences can be boring, given that social workers spend so much time writing assessments and reports.
“Something more to the point can be thought-provoking, effective and provide an opportunity to reflect.”
Jaison explores in his poetry what it means to take care of yourself in an often demanding job, and adds: “It is important to remain focused on the role but be mindful that we are also human.”
Social Workers Poem
What is a qualified social worker?
What keeps social workers going/doing the job they do?
Is it social work values and ethics?
Is it resilience and is resilience alone all that is?
Is it the theories and methods,
Or is it the people (clients) those we work with?
Is it our own individual/personal being that’s keep us going?
Or is it our own upbringing and personalities?
Is it the team or group strength?
Is it the various legislation that underpins social work practice?
Maybe it is all the teams and interaction taking place (multidisciplinary approach)
It could also be our positive approach to working with people.
What is a qualified social worker?
Is it about choice and independence?
Is it about registration and belonging to a regulatory/registration body?
And if so, can that alone make a good social worker?
Is it about empowering others?
Advocating for strengths-based approach?
Placing the individual or groups we work with at the centre?
Is it about highlighting what is strong and working, rather than what is wrong/not working?
Identifying the resources within the people and groups we work with?
Is it about building a collaborative, person-cantered approach with the people we work with?
Treating them as unique individuals focusing on their personal, relational, and community strengths?
Is it about working in isolation or in teams and if so, how do social worker manage?
Is it about the team cultures and how can this affect each social worker?
If social work is about helping others how do social workers manage with their own individual isolation and other mental health related concerns?
Is it about self-care in the stressful profession?
If so, how do social workers self-care with all the demands of daily life?
How can social workers recharge, remain objective and gain a balanced perspective?
What is a qualified social worker?
Is it about delivering compassionate, competent, and ethical social work practice?
How do social workers engage in professional self-care with everything going on?
Is it about individual social workers, employers, and other professional organisations or peer groups allowing social workers to establish professional relations?
Is it about sharing practice, knowledge, resources, and insight?
Maybe it is about effective teamwork relationships that empower social workers to grow/develop and accomplish more.
Maybe it is about sharing the load that is benefiting from one another’s strengths.
Maybe it is about talking to someone about how you are feeling and how you are processing the emotions.
Maybe it’s about having a trusted confidante/individual to share your deeper concerns and personal challenges openly.
What is a qualified social worker?
Maybe it is about having sense of humour.
Finding hobbies, passionate projects, and simple pleasures
It could be making time in your schedule reflect on your sense of balance, well-being, and self-worth.
Maybe it’s about thinking or doing something that puts a smile on your face as well as having moments of peace.
Social workers are also human they could do with having time for walks, relaxing as well as food and drink.
Maybe turning on the music and listening to your favourite vibes.