Resilience and adaptability of social workers in health care settings during COVID-19 in Australia.

In 2020 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was identified in Australia. During the pandemic, as essential workers, hospital-based social workers have been on the frontline. This cross-sectional study examines the resilience of social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, how the pandemic impacted on social work and lessons learnt. Hospital social workers working in three states, namely Victoria, Queensland, and New South Wales were invited to participate in an online web-based survey, providing non-identifiable demographic details and information a) relating to their proximity to COVID-19, b) their degree of resilience (CD-RISC-2), c) professional quality of life, d) perceived social support, e) physical health, f) professional and personal growth during the pandemic, and g) impacts of COVID-19 on their practice. Basic descriptive statistics were computed for variables of interest. Within group, comparisons were made using paired t-tests or one-way ANOVAs for continuous variables as appropriate to investigate possible interstate differences. Regression analyses were conducted to determine which factors contribute to resilience. Social workers, during the pandemic, whether working under the constraints of lockdown or not, demonstrated high levels of resilience. These levels were similar across the three states, unaffected by the degree of infection in the community, indicating that as a group, social workers have high innate levels of resilience. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on hospital social workers, the long-term impact of the pandemic on social work practice, and potentially useful lessons learnt for the future.

Social work in oncology-managing vicarious trauma-the positive impact of professional supervision.

This exploratory study focused on the experience and management of vicarious trauma in a team of social workers (N = 16) at a specialist cancer hospital in Melbourne. Respondents completed the Traumatic Stress Institute Belief Scale (TSIBS), the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL), and participated in four focus groups. The results from the TSIBS and the ProQol scales confirm that there is a stress associated with the social work role within a cancer service, as demonstrated by the high scores related to stress. However at the same time the results indicated a high level of satisfaction which acted as a mitigating factor. The study also highlighted the importance of supervision and management support. A model for clinical social work supervision is proposed to reduce the risks associated with vicarious trauma.

Assessing Older Community Members Using a Social Work Tool: Developing an Organizational Response.

Social Worker's undertake psycho-social assessments and facilitate access to evidence-informed psychological and practical supports to optimize the physical, psychological, and social wellbeing of the community members in their care. Social workers employed at an aged and community care organization undertook a review of the gray and peer reviewed literature and did not identify any existing evidence-based tools. However, 10 key domains were identified from the search. Gaps in the domains were discovered, together with the need for guidance and prompts for less experienced staff and students. Five Social Workers, using co-design principles, reviewed the domains, and added further domains from their social work practice. An evidence-based assessment tool was developed which incorporated 11 domains. The tool can be used to assess the needs of people living in the community who are older and/or have compromised health and wellbeing. Further work is required to pilot test the tool.