Logo image
Back
Developing and integrating professional resilience: influencing factors for social workers as students and new practitioners
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Developing and integrating professional resilience: influencing factors for social workers as students and new practitioners

Clarissa Hitchcock, Louise Whitaker, Mark Hughes and Lynne McPherson
European journal of social work, Vol.27(4), pp.799-811
2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2023.2256486
Appears in  Recent Faculty of Health Publications

Metrics

51 Record Views
6 Times Cited - Web of Science

UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#1 No Poverty

Source: InCites

Abstract

Social work education social work resilience workforce wellbeing Social work not elsewhere classified Community services not elsewhere classified
Increasingly complex practice contexts challenge social workers’ resilience, impacting workforce attraction and retention. This study comprised longitudinal and qualitative research to understand what influences professional resilience development, maintenance and integration. Purposive sampling resulted in the inclusion of 23 participants from eight Australian universities. Interviews occurred when the participants were students nearing the completion of a Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degree and again after approximately six months of post-qualifying practice. The results reveal social workers’ resilience develops over time through processing experiences that occur within contexts and shape professional identity. Supportive relationships are integral to this process, becoming protective resources during adversity. In universities and human service organisations, relationships with peers, teams, direct line managers, and supervisors are crucial for enabling insight and growth through critically reflecting on experiences and understanding their impact on professional identity formation and resilience. A disparity emerged between the expectation of available resources as a student and the reality as a newly qualified social worker. The relational nature of resilience has implications for educating social work students and preparing them for practice realities, organisations seeking to sustain a resilient workforce, and practitioners who navigate these complex contexts.

Details

Logo image