Explore every episode of the podcast Social Work Deep Dive

In this, our second episode, we talk about the constant changes in social work regarding policies, legal and organisational frameworks, and/or service redesigns. From joining health and social care partnerships to a potential National Care Service in Scotland, we question how social workers are coping with constant changes and seemingly ever-growing demands. Coaching can help social workers to adapt, gives them a space to think, and can support them in managing anxiety and uncertainty whilst navigating change in their personal or professional lives.  “We trained hard . . . but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralization.” (source unknown)

Visit us at: www.socialworkdeepdive.co.uk

Episode 1 – Speaking Our Truth: social workers opening up about self-harm, suicide ideation, shame, burnout, and guilt. (Co-host: Annie MacIver and Michaela Horan)  In this first podcast we consider the psychological impact of self-harming behaviour, suicide ideation, shame, burnout, and guilt in the social work profession. There is sometimes an implicit message that social workers should be resilient, self-reliant, professional, and able to get on with their work in the face of extreme challenges. This episode explores what it means to work in a profession that often places unrealistic expectations on social workers without enough consideration for their emotional well-being, and what we, as colleagues and coaches, can do about it.