Exploring the Lived Experiences of Supervising Child Protection Social Workers
Abstract
Social workers in child protective services often handle hundreds of cases regarding
children traumatized by abuse and/or neglect. In time, social workers’ experiences can
become emotionally and psychologically challenging. A problem for supervising child
protection social workers (SCPSWs) is that they might experience the same challenges;
however, there was no research that described the lived experiences of SCPSWs. This
phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of SCPSWs. Conceptually,
constructivist self-development theory (CSDT) provided the framework for
understanding how SCPSWs managed their lived experiences and the issues related to
them. Ten SCPSWs volunteered their time for face-to-face interviews and provided data
for this study. Saldana’s coding manual was used to guide the identification and coding
of key words and phrases. SCPSWs experienced occupational trauma in the form of
vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and/or burnout similar
to that experienced by front line workers. SCPSWs’ experiences required them to set
boundaries, stop taking work home and support each other in the workplace. Enhanced
resources for training on self-care plus increased administrative and peer support could
potentially improve the lives of these SCPSWs and increase their longevity and
effectiveness in the workplace. Retaining experienced supervisors also has the potential
to promote positive social change by improving the support supervisors can provide to
front line staff, thus indirectly helping children, families, and communities they serve.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
social work, child protection, supervision, vicarious trauma
Citation
Freeman, K. R. (2016). Exploring the Lived Experiences of Supervising Child Protection Social Workers. Dissertation. Minneapolis, MN: Walden University.