If you’re familiar with my story, you will know that I have a background in social work which has provided me with a great foundation as a caregiver consultant. Social work is a noble career and social workers have my respect and support, knowing firsthand the type of work and services they provide and the education and experience required to serve their clients well.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has announced this year’s theme for Social Work Month (March) is Social Work: Compassion + Action.
It’s a beautiful theme – capturing the essence of how social workers turn their compassion into action. Social workers who work with caregivers and the elderly population provide a great example of putting this theme into their social work practice. Before I continue, I wish to ask you a question.
What Are Your Thoughts About Social Workers?
Do you fear them? Do you admire, respect and/or revere them? Would you welcome their presence into your life or try and block them from helping you or others?
How we view social workers has a lot to do with our frame of reference.
If there were hardships in your family as you were growing up, perhaps allegations of abuse lobbied against your family that required a social worker to intervene, it’s possible you see social workers as interferers who came and split up your family. However, if you were the one being abused in a family rife with dysfunction and violence, you likely view social workers as saviors or guardian angels.
The roles of social workers can be diverse and it’s only natural that we have varying feelings and opinions about them as well. Yet, the common thread for all social workers is reflected in this year’s theme that they turn their compassion into action.
With my career, I was provided a unique opportunity to work in many different social work roles, simply because of a choice I made to follow my husband’s career – not mine. Please don’t feel sorry for me about this decision as it gave me a well-rounded understanding of social work and allowed me to meet and work with many amazing folks as we travelled the western provinces of Canada for work. I may add that it stretched me – helping me gain skills I don’t think I would have mastered if I had remained in one position and place throughout my career. I truly benefited from the challenges of learning what was required for new positions, with its regulations, responsibilities, policies, and demographics.
What Are the Roles of a Social Worker?
Social workers wear many hats! Here are a few of the more familiar roles a social worker may have.
- Resource Allocator
- Child Protection worker
- Adoption Facilitator
- Income Security worker
- Friendly Visitor
- Policy Maker/Analyst
- Counsellor
- Researcher
- Mental Health worker
- Substance Abuse worker
- Gap filler (my favorite)
Social Workers are Regulated
Social workers train for several years before they can be licensed or registered by their regulatory body. They must follow standards of practice, a code of ethics, and they are required to maintain continuing professional development. Social workers are professionals, and they carry authority and responsibility to the profession and to the folks they serve.
When receiving services from a social worker it’s important to feel you can trust them. Knowing that they are regulated and accountable can help gain trust. However, in the event where a social worker violates the code of conduct, breaches the standards of practice, or is behaving unethically, there is a process by which you can file a complaint to be investigated by the regulatory body.
Personalities
Social workers come from many different personality types, cultures, and backgrounds. They are human and sometimes personality conflicts get in the way. It happens!
In my current position as a caregiver consultant, I received a phone call from a distraught caregiver whose loved one was living in a care home. This caregiver desperately needed some support. I assessed what support she had access to, and discovered there was a social worker in the care home where her loved one resided.
I asked her if she knew there was a social worker on staff, as they would be a great resource for her in her given predicament. She answered, yes, but added that she would not be talking to that social worker – as she doesn’t like her! Easily recognizing there was some history surrounding this response, I gingerly tried to find out more and why she felt this way. Sadly, she was not receptive to my words and my message that the social worker is in the care home to support the residents and their families, regardless of whether the family or resident likes them or not.
Liking those we work with or who work with us is a bonus. As I said before social workers are professionals, and if this social worker had violated their professional standards that’s when a complaint may be initiated. When there is only one social worker to serve an entire community, such as in a care home, and the only violation is a personality conflict, there is little recourse.
I recognized this caregiver was emotional and feeling very stressed in her caregiving role, and she didn’t have the capacity at that moment to recognize the benefit of seeing the social worker as her ally. Sadly she could only focus on her dislike for the person, thus preventing her from accessing a knowledgeable resource for her specific situation.
Social Workers in Elder Care
Engaging the services of a social worker when you are a caregiver who needs support and resources, may be difficult if you had a traumatic experience in your childhood where social services were involved. In this case envisioning a social worker coming alongside to help by providing information, support and resources may feel foreign. Perhaps you doubt their sincerity and compassion based on the earlier interactions a social worker had with your family. Additionally, what if your loved one was the perpetrator of the harm that caused social services to be involved with your family when you were a child, in the first place?
Childhood trauma can have a life-long effect. Without opportunities to heal you may feel it is impossible to move forward when caregiving for a loved one who was neglectful or abusive towards you. Lisa Kendall addresses this very topic in the Island Treasures podcast episode: “Growth in Caregiving: Healing Through Trauma”.
Lisa is a great example of a social worker with Compassion + Action sharing information and encouragement to those listeners who may have come from a dysfunctional past with their care partner. If you had a painful childhood and are called upon to care for a loved one who caused your pain, please listen to Lisa’s wisdom in this episode.
Think of Social Workers Early On
Social workers may not be the first resource caregivers think of when they find themselves needing help and support. Back in 2021, I wrote an article for Caregiving.com called “How Social Workers Help Caregivers” and then later that year I had two social workers as guests on the Island Treasures podcast. Lisa Kendall, who I previously mentioned, and Zander Keig. Zander was the NASW social worker of the year for 2020 and you can hear his caregiving story and insights in the episode called “No Time for Burnout!”.
As the podcast seasons progressed, there were three more social workers as guests on the Island Treasures podcast: Jodi Kay Benusa in the episode titled, “Stop, Pause and Reflect“, Roxane Anderson in the episode called, “A Flood Amidst Caregiving“, and Jenna Rumberger, in the episode called “Her World Turned Upside Down“. Both Jodi Kay, of USA Geriatric Services, and Jenna, of Aging With a Plan, focus their social work on the needs of eldercare and caregivers.
Social Workers are a great resource!
It’s time for caregivers to think of social workers early on in a caregiving journey, as they not only help provide information, advocacy, support, counselling, and resources, they also can help you fast-track to reliable and credible resources. When you’re short on time and patience, but desperate for answers and finding a way forward, that fast-tracking is another example of turning compassion into action! If you’re ready to look for a social worker to help in your caregiving journey, check with your local health authority, senior’s centre, or by searing online so that you can experience a social worker’s Compassion + Action to enhance your caregiving experience.
