"...the world is in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with countries easing their way in and out of varying degrees of lockdown, which requires people once again, to adjust to a new way of living. This is the essence of what emotional resilience is about: the capacity to adapt in times of adversity and ultimately, perhaps, to grow and flourish. This may be in unexpected situations of crisis such as the world currently faces, or in response to more frequent everyday stressors"
Our latest Iriss Insight titled, Creating a culture of resilience for social workers – outlines the concept of emotional resilience and considers how the policy and practice of social work in Scotland may influence the development of organisational cultures, and impact on the resilience of social workers. It also includes implications for practice.
Written by Sarah Rose at the University of Edinburgh, it draws on particular cultural tensions between managerialism and relationship-based practice, rationality and emotion, and professional integrity and ethical compromise, and explores how social work organisations can move from a culture of stress to one of resilience.
Related resources
Resilience resources for social work and social care workers - collected by Iriss, Social Work Scotland and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).
Mindfulness in social work education and practice (Iriss Insight).
Iriss On...Self care in health and social care - a short paper on the topic with a reflection from a children and families social worker at North Ayrshire Council.
Influencing practice: relationships matter - Jackie Irvine, Chief Social Work Officer at Edinburgh City Council and past President of social work Scotland, takes some time to reflect on how the practice environment in which social work operates has changed. She provides advice on making the most of relationships at work, as well as self-care strategies.
Covid-19: Stress, anxiety and social care worker's mental health - a summary of evidence by our Evidence Search and Summary Service.
