Social workers' emotional labour with families in poverty: Neoliberal fatigue?

Lavee, Einat; Strier, Roni

doi:10.1111/cfs.12443

Cited by 52 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 50 publications

(66 reference statements)

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“…It does not therefore analyse the many wider factors that might influence empathy, such as characteristics of the worker or family and the relationship between them, or the specific situation. It provides an overview analysis of the level of empathy in these interactions, and the data did not allow us to explore important relationships with wider factors such as race and gender (Lavee & Strier, ). Other methodological limitations include inclusion of a single observation of practice from a limited sample of workers in one organization, so we are unable to analyse variations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice

Lynch

Newlands

Forrester

2018

Child & Family Social Work

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It is widely accepted that empathy is important for social work practice, yet there are multiple dimensions of empathy and comparatively few studies of empathy as a component of social work skill. To date, published studies have been quantitative, and as a result, we know little about how social workers demonstrate empathy in practice or what skilled empathic practice in child and family social work might sound like. This study contributes to the development of understanding of empathy as a social work skill through a mixed-methods analysis of 110 audio recordings of meetings in a child protection service between workers and parents, applying a coding framework for analysis. Findings indicate that workers who demonstrate higher levels of empathy skill use more open questions and reflections in their communication with parents.Further, they demonstrate curiosity about and make efforts to understand parents' often difficult experiences, including a focus on emotions. That the majority of workers were found not to demonstrate a high level of empathy skill presents concerns to be considered by the social work profession. A deeper understanding of empathy presents an opportunity for an increased focus in organizations to enable workers to demonstrate empathy towards families they work with.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice

Lynch

Newlands

Forrester

2018

Child & Family Social Work

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“…The impact of austerity on child welfare systems in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States has increased the existing emotional demands placed upon social workers. As such, there has been renewed interest in the impact of emotion on social workers' judgements, both in the United Kingdom (Winter et al, ) and internationally (Lavee & Strier, ; Mänttäri‐van der Kuip, ). The home visit is a key site for assessment across child welfare systems and has been described as social work's “totem technique” (Margolin, , p. 26).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The home visit in child protection social work: Emotion as resource and risk for professional judgement and practice

Cook

2019

Child & Family Social Work

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This article conceptualises the role of emotion in social work home visits. It draws on findings from a qualitative study of initial child protection home visits in the United Kingdom. The research used narrative interviews and focus groups to examine how emotions arising from visits were registered in social workers' narratives. These visits were often challenging; social workers needed to manage their own emotions and those of the family, while at the same time investigating concerns and assessing need.This article identifies seven key emotional experiences associated with the home visit from the perspective of the social worker: going into the unknown; being intrusive; being disliked; fear of harm to self; fear of causing or allowing harm; pain, disgust, and distress; and "absorbing" emotion. It is argued that emotion plays a central role in home visiting and that professionals' emotional responses have important implications for the way they make sense of, and manage, home visits. Emotion is therefore conceptualized as both a potential resource and risk for social workers' professional judgement and practice.

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“…Social workers also suffer the consequences of this erosion of the social services [30]. The social services are often the last resort for those who are in most need [13] and on occasions social workers may find that they do not have all the answers the client requires [41]. Public social policies in relation to social services do not respond to the demands of users at this time [29].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sustainability of Public Social Services: A Qualitative Study

et al. 2020

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The 2008 global economic crisis heightened social inequality and drastically reduced equal opportunities for many people. It had negative consequences for social regulation in many European countries, which have dismantled their public social policies. The objective of the study was to describe social workers’ perceptions of their lived experiences in different areas of the public social services system. A qualitative study was developed, based on a hermeneutic approach. Six in-depth interviews and two focus groups were conducted with 20 social workers employed by community social services and the Andalusian public health service (Spain). The professionals agreed that the public social services system has been eroded, that the lack of resources has consequences for workers and the general public alike, and that the public authorities and the administration are responsible for this situation. Social services have become distributors of scarce resources rather than a social protection system that empowers and accompanies the most vulnerable. The system must provide the necessary resources and structures so that they can escape the situation of poverty, exclusion and social injustice.

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Social workers' emotional labour with families in poverty: Neoliberal fatigue?

Cited by 52 publications

References 50 publications

What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice

What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice

The home visit in child protection social work: Emotion as resource and risk for professional judgement and practice

The Sustainability of Public Social Services: A Qualitative Study

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