Abstract
ABSTRACT We know from past research that social workers within the CWS are exposed to an array of workplace risks more than any other group within human services. Although several articles tend to focus on the reasons child welfare workers (CWW) leave/stay on their job, we know very little regarding how these workers juggle their roles between the home and the work domain. The present study explored CWW’s perception on how they combine the challenges at work with successful private/family life. We collected data through interviews with 16 CWWs across different cities in Norway. The use of thematic analysis produced four overarching themes, ‘it goes both ways’, ‘work-self-identity’, ‘spill-over effects’, and ‘on the lookout’. Overall, respondents acknowledge the interconnectedness between the home and the work domain. They maintain that they identify with the job and the field. They also raised issues concerning the negative effects of work on their private lives. Owing to the constant stress and challenges, a few of our respondents are already on the lookout for better alternatives. Findings point towards creating a better working environment for CWW through useful interventions and policies that ameliorate workloads of CWW.
Highlights
Child welfare workers (CWW) especially in the western part of the world, have in recent past been under the scrutiny of the media, angered, and dissatisfied parents, as well as the European court of justice (Dagbladet, 2020)
While the attention is often drawn on the decisions child welfare agencies make concerning vulnerable children and families within their care (Nissly et al, 2005), we rarely hear about the working conditions and well-being of social workers working within the child welfare service (McFadden et al, 2015)
We know from past research that employees who are exposed to a series of workplace stress, burnout, or other damaging workplace risks often run the risk of low performance and poor health and well-being (Leka et al, 2007)
Summary
Child welfare workers (CWW) especially in the western part of the world, have in recent past been under the scrutiny of the media, angered, and dissatisfied parents, as well as the European court of justice (Dagbladet, 2020). According to the Norwegian child welfare act (as it is in many other European countries), child welfare services bear the responsibility to provide adequate protection of vulnerable children, by protecting them from maltreatment, neglect, and all other sorts of abuse. While the attention is often drawn on the decisions child welfare agencies make concerning vulnerable children and families within their care (Nissly et al, 2005), we rarely hear about the working conditions and well-being of social workers working within the child welfare service (McFadden et al, 2015). Research within social work especially concerning child welfare services has shown that the field of child welfare is one of the most multifaceted, emotionally demanding, and stressful workgroups within the field of human services (Madden et al, 2014; McFadden et al, 2015). In view of the above, the present study will seek to explore work–family conflict among CWW in Norway
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