The issue of how the workforce has been impacted by, and innovated and adapted, during the pandemic ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has had wide-ranging social and economic impacts that have magnified existing social inequalities. The virus and the measures adopted to contain it have required social service organizations and workers to reorganize the way they operate to ensure the health and well-being of the communities they serve. A well-supported, appropriately equipped, empowered and protected social service workforce has been – and continues to be – essential to mitigating the damaging effects of the pandemic.
The Global Social Service Workforce Alliance (GSSWA) is an inclusive network of more than 3,000 individual members across 145 countries. During the pandemic, the GSSWA has been collecting information on challenges, adaptations and innovations from social service organizations and workers around the world.
In many contexts the social service workforce was not initially deemed essential, leaving workers ineligible to receive protective equipment, or unable to perform their key roles. In countries where the workforce was quickly classified as essential, other challenges arose from workers being called upon to adopt new responsibilities to support the government’s larger crisis response efforts. Another challenge has been the rapid shift for many organizations to remote service delivery without adequate planning time or prior experience, which has hindered effective and appropriate case management services. The shift to virtual services has also exacerbated the “digital divide,” with serious impacts on those who lack ability or confidence with technology, as well as those with insufficient access to electricity and internet. Finally, social service workers and organizations have experienced significantly increased caseloads and greater complexity of cases, as well as increased levels of occupational stress and burnout. To deal with these challenges, organizations and workers have created innovations and adaptations, many of which will likely have long-term impacts beyond the pandemic. To deal with more demanding caseloads, organizations have employed task-shifting and upskilling, have hired additional workers, and have increased collaboration with and referrals to other organizations and community structures. Organizations have offered virtual trainings and learning events, as well as online management and mentoring systems, while also creating ways to safely meet with clients in-person when necessary. In addition, advocacy efforts in several countries have raised critical awareness of the essential role of the social service workforce. Using findings like these, the GSSWA has compiled resources and recommendations for governments, employers, supervisors, and workers, including: · continue to advocate for social service workers as essential across both development and humanitarian contexts; · develop polices for greater integration and coordination of social services and the workforce, across those different contexts; · train the workforce to help them adapt their services, use technology, and understand risk mitigation, for future pandemics, climate change and other global crises; · develop and implement action plans to support mental health and psycho-social well-being. The innovations of our members, along with these recommendations, can offer guidance for the social service workforce as we continue to grapple globally with COVID-19 and its lasting impacts, as well in other global health and social welfare emergencies in future. <! /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin-top:0in; margin-right:0in; margin-bottom:8.0pt; margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} p.paragraph, li.paragraph, div.paragraph {mso-style-name:paragraph; mso-style-unhide:no; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} span.normaltextrun {mso-style-name:normaltextrun; mso-style-unhide:no;} span.eop {mso-style-name:eop; mso-style-unhide:no;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ansi-font-size:11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:Arial; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi; mso-ansi-language:EN-GB;} .MsoPapDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; margin-bottom:8.0pt; line-height:107%;} @page WordSection1 {size:595.3pt 841.9pt; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in; mso-header-margin:35.4pt; mso-footer-margin:35.4pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:1733001035; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1141935590 1343765100 -819951472 -2042969850 -1694753342 589587688 1862569812 282235346 -1081586738 -1791481424;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l0:level2 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @list l0:level3 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l0:level4 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l0:level5 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @list l0:level6 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l0:level7 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} @list l0:level8 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @list l0:level9 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:?; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Wingdings;} >
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