Abstract
Child welfare organizations are increasingly concerned with challenges emerging from the assessment of social workers' dissatisfaction. This type of service represents the work area where social workers are at greater risk of burnout. Although several studies account for high social workers' burnout scores, they do not systematically dwell upon its sources and roots. In addition, scholars point out that a considerable number of work related issues may be perceived both as a source of dissatisfaction and satisfaction. We assume that there is a need to deepen the understanding of how dissatisfaction's sources may exert an impact on both personal job satisfaction and professional self-efficacy, which are positively associated with well-being at work. The present mixed-method research has two aims: (1) the extensive exploration, applying qualitative methodology, of the perceived sources of dissatisfaction; (2) the attempt to identify the extent to which those sources predict job satisfaction and professional self-efficacy. It is our purpose to further explore which differences emerge by age. The research involved child welfare workers, that is, SWs employed in public child welfare agencies in the North East of Italy. Results show the predominant role of interpersonal trust and mutual respect, as main predictors of both professional self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Practical implications of findings are discussed.
Highlights
Societal changes are increasingly and severely impacting social workers’ work environment and practices
Child welfare organizations are increasingly concerned with challenges emerging from the assessment of social workers’ dissatisfaction
The research involved child welfare workers, that is, SWs employed in public child welfare agencies in the North East of Italy
Summary
Societal changes are increasingly and severely impacting social workers’ ( on SW) work environment and practices. After the so-called golden era [2] of the welfare states, western countries had to cope with two serious economic downturns: the economic crisis of the 1970s and the one which erupted in 2008. In the last decade, the weakening of coalitions, which support the welfare state, expenditure retrenchments, and fragmentation of resources, led to institutional, administrative, and welfare programs’ changes and thereby to adjustments of service goals and working practices. The increasingly ageing population and the ongoing migration flows are considerably changing the demographic assets of many countries, triggering important shifting of resources’ allocation towards new populations in need. New social risks and needs arise, deteriorating the already troublesome condition of many, impacting previously unaffected social groups. The number of extremely vulnerable single-parent families rose consistently
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