Poetry wellbeing project launched to support Scotland’s social workers

A new project exploring how poetry can aid reflection, self-care and rejuvenation for adult social work and social care staff is to be launched in Scotland.

Poetry for Wellbeing will be delivered in partnership by the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW), Scottish Poetry Library (SPL) and the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling.

The programme will include a series of poetry workshops that will explore ways in which practitioners can use poetry to support mental wellbeing. This will result in a toolkit of materials for all social work and social care practitioners to run their own poetry wellbeing groups.

Supported by funding from the Scottish Government’s Workforce Wellbeing Fund for Adult Social Work and Social Care, the initiative has been developed in response to increasing pressures experienced by social work and social care workers.

This was underlined by the findings of the recent Setting the Bar report which concluded that “the values to which social workers are deeply committed to are compromised, with wellbeing impacts, making the job no longer tenable.”

SASW National Director, Alison Bavidge commented:

“Social workers do complex work that can often be emotionally draining. We know from Setting the Bar that the challenges of the post-pandemic world are placing even greater demands on social workers. The cost-of-living crisis may cause this to worsen as demand for public sector support increases.

“It is therefore crucial for social workers to have strategies to process difficult experiences and emotions and enhance their self-care. Poetry for Wellbeing will provide a unique outlet for this to happen by harnessing the benefits of creative writing.

“While the workshops will be for practitioners working in adult social work and social care, the toolkit will be designed as a resource for all social work and social care workers. SASW is grateful for the funding that has been made available to get this project off the ground and is looking forward to collaborating with partners to deliver it.”

SPL Director, Asif Khan added:

“We’re pleased to be working on this important initiative using the power of poetry to improve mindfulness and self-compassion.

“There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating how poetry can be an effective tool in supporting positive mental wellbeing. It promotes reflection and discussion and acts as a source of emotional support.

“The funding to support the roll-out of the workshops over the coming months is very welcome and we’re excited to see how the toolkit takes shape from these sessions. Hopefully this will lead to a valuable and popular resource that social workers can benefit from and develop for many years to come.”