COVID-19 Impact on Children's Social Work Practice and Social Worker Well-being: A Mixed Methods Study from Northern Ireland and Great Britain during 2020-2022

Social workers were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we examined the well-being, burnout and work conditions of UK children's social workers at five time points of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional mixed methods study analysing data from 1,621 social workers who worked in children's services in the UK in 2020-2022. Data were collected using anonymous online surveys which included both quantitative and qualitative questions. The mental well-being of participants decreased as the pandemic progressed and work-related burnout increased. In the later stages of the pandemic, children's social workers in Northern Ireland fared better than their Great Britain counterparts in relation to their well-being and levels of burnout. Thematic analysis of qualitative data revealed four major themes: Changes in service demand and referrals, Adapted ways of working, Staff shortages and Emotional impact. The findings highlight the challenges that the children's social workers encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic and have implications for policy, practice and research. This article examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being, burnout and working conditions of UK social workers working in children's services. Data came from a wider study of health and social care professionals who completed online surveys at five different time points during the COVID-19 pandemic. The surveys contained both quantitative and qualitative questions. We analysed the responses of 1,621 social workers working in children's services between 2020 and 2022. We found that their well-being decreased and work-related burnout increased as the pandemic progressed. We also found that client-related burnout was consistently lower than personal and work-related burnout. In the later stages of the pandemic, children's social workers in Great Britain reported worse well-being and more burnout than their Northern Irish counterparts. Participants also reported more work pressures due to greater service demand and referrals, increased complexity of cases and staff shortages.

Automated summary

This study examines the well-being, burnout, and work conditions of UK children's social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings indicate a decrease in participants' mental well-being and an increase in work-related burnout as the pandemic progresses. In the later stages of the pandemic, children's social workers in Northern Ireland showed better well-being and lower burnout levels compared to their counterparts in Great Britain. The qualitative analysis reveals four major themes: changes in service demand and referrals, adapted ways of working, staff shortages, and emotional impact.