Dr Clarissa Hitchcock

The wellbeing of the social work workforce is of international interest, as increasingly complex practice contexts challenge practitioners’ resilience and impact workforce attraction and retention. Social work education seeks to develop work-ready graduates who can successfully navigate these environmental and contextual demands. One proposed strategy is to foster practitioners’ professional resilience. How education contributes to professional resilience development is relatively unknown, particularly in the Australian context. This study aimed to create new knowledge about the role of Australian social work education in developing students’ professional resilience for social work practice.

This research explored this issue by asking: What is the role of education in developing students’ professional resilience for social work practice? Social constructionism and critical theory framed the study, with narrative inquiry and critical reflection guiding the analysis of the participants’ perceptions. A longitudinal, qualitative design enabled the exploration of social workers’ experiences and perceptions as both students and new practitioners, providing insight into how time and context influenced the development and consolidation of resilience, including the role of education in this process. In Stage One, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 social work students from eight Australian universities in the final 12 months of their Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degree. In Stage Two, 19 of the participants were re-interviewed after approximately six months of practice. Thematic narrative analysis guided the data interpretation, occurring at Stages One and Two, with the findings then compared for difference and relatability.

The research results confirmed social work curricula and pedagogy can be designed to support students developing and maintaining their professional resilience. Participants viewed professional resilience as complex, multidimensional and essential for practice. They defined it as experiencing a challenge, using various internal and external protective resources to respond appropriately, and then reflecting to recover and grow. A new definition of professional resilience is proposed based on the participants’ perspectives and emerging literature. For social workers, professional resilience is the dynamic, multidimensional, and cyclical process of accessing intra- and inter-personal protective resources to respond to challenging ecological conditions and grow from the experience.

The findings confirmed diverse experiences across time and contexts foster professional resilience, shaping social work identity and enhancing practitioners’ skills, knowledge and confidence to respond to challenges in practice. Integral to professional resilience are supportive relationships, including connection with social work peers, critical reflection and exposure to practice realities. While the results confirmed contextual and environmental protective resources are crucial for resilience, there was an overemphasis on individual responsibility to access them, with little focus on the requirements and obligations of systems, organisations and structures. Implications for social work education include enhancing students’ understanding of the concept, encouraging relational connection, building social work identity, developing the skills and knowledge for critical reflection, and preparing students for complex and different practice settings. Social workers require systemic support beyond education to sustain their professional resilience, including integrated and evidence-informed programs offered by universities, professional bodies and practice organisations.