I have had several conversations in the past couple of months about workload pressures. It seems that a significant proportion of people feel overloaded. Of course a high workload is not necessarily a problem. It can be stimulating, motivating and rewarding. You can go home feeling tired but happy and satisfied. However, when it gets to the point that the workload is too high, then the result is different. You are more likley to go home feeling tired, worn out, perhaps anxious about how you are going to cope and not at all satisfied or contented. This can be the begining of health-affecting stress and possibly the beginning too of a slippery slope that can lead to a vicious circle of stress and distress.

So, when we find ourselves in a situation of work overload - that is, when we have crossed that line between a high but manageable workload to one that is too high and therefore unmanageable, we need to be very careful. Rather than allow ourselves to get deeper and deeper into difficulties, we need to ask ourselves two key (sets of) questions:

1. What steps can I take to change the situation? What problem-solving strategies are available to me? Beware of a defeatism here (a common reaction when we are under stress) that tells us there are no solutions before we have really explored all the options.

2. What support is available to me to get me through this difficult patch? What formal systems of support can I draw on through my workplace? What informal support can I obtain from colleagues, friends, relatives and so on? Make sure you do not make the mistake of assuming that asking for help is a sign of weakness - it is not: it a sign of strength and wisdom.

Persisting with trying to do the impossible, to do more than is realistic with the time, energy and resources available is likley to prove to be not only an ineffective way forward, but also potentially a very dangerous one.

For more information about stress see www.humansolutions.org.uk

I have made the point before (for example, in my Understandnig Social Work book) that social work involves, to a certain extent, doing society's dirty work - dealing with things that so many people would like to sweep under the carpet: abuse, poverty, discrimination and oppression, trauma and so on. This then puts us in quite a weak position when it comes to being appreciated and valued for the contribution we make. And yet, ironically, research about satisfaction levels from users of social work services are generally very positive and encouraging. So, it is good to know that there is at least some valuing of social work going on, especially as this appreciation comes from the people who matter most - our clientele.

But there are three other groups of people where social work can be valued too:

1. Other professionals Perhaps ther are some lessons we can learn about how to do a better job of convincing other professionals of the value of what we do and what we have to offer - 'setting out our stall' as I call it in Practising Social Work.

2. Managers My experience over the years has convinced me that the managers who show appreciation of their staff's efforts are precisely the managers who are more likley to earn the respect, trust and support of their staff. A little appreciation goes a long way.

3. Ourselves Of course, it is great to know that our efforts are valued and appreciated and it can be frustrating when they are not, but I believe one of the major challenges of social work is to be able to do our best in difficult circumstances, to make the best of a situation ratehr than just moan about it being far from ideal. So, while we are making efforts to convince others of the value of what we do, we should hold on to the idea that what we do is important and valuable, even though its value will not always be appreciated as widely as it should be.

I have recently been chcking the proofs of my forthcoming book, Theorizing Social Work Practice (to be published by Palgrave Macmillan next February), which completes the trilogy that began with Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice and also includes Practising Social Work: Meeting the Professional Challenge. I have often thought that it is important how books end, so I paid particular attention, in checking the proofs, to the final sentence of the book:

Whatever it is that formed (and, it is to be hoped, still informs) the basis of your inspiration and motivation, do not lose touch with that crucial source of renewal to keep you going in what is, as well as being a rewarding career, also a very demanding one.

The recognition that social work is a demanding career is, for me, a vitally important one. It means that we need to go into it with our eyes open, ready to make the commitment to rising to the many challnges involved. It also means that we have to value what we do, support each other in doing it, recognise that we will get it wrong sometimes, but still be proud of the efforts we make and the successes and breakthroughs we achieve. In this way it can be rewarding because it is demanding. I very much hope that Social Work Focus can play an important supporting role in all this.

The publication of the Task Force on social work in England offers some potentially very positive steps forward, a challenge to the managerialism and unrealistic expectations (in terms of workload) that have characterised British social work in recent years. However, there are still many questions that remain: Will the Government provide adequate financial support to translate the potential into reality? Will next year's general election change the political landscape in relation to social work? Will Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland develop similar approaches? Will we, as a profession, be able to capitalise on the opportunities now available to us? Or will we, as a result of the problems the Task Force report highlights, be at such a low ebb that we do not rise fully to the challenge?

The Task Force report is at: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/swtf/

In recent years British social work has been characterised by an increasingly heavy emphasis on risk and, unfortunately, often a very rigid, defensive approach to the subject. Of course, the danger is that such an uncritical, unbalanced approach increases the chances of things going awry rather than actually reducing them. Meanwhile in the financial world it has arguably been the case that too loose and incautious an approach to risk by bankers and other key players was a key factor in the credit crunch and subsequent recession. So there is quite a significant irony there. Let us hope that we can now learn to adopt a more reasonable and realistic approach to risk in both the social work and economic spheres.

I have recently been involved in discussions about the importance of spirituality in social work. It has not surprised me that these days so many people are becoming quite enthusiastic about the potential for spirituality to help take social work forward once they realise how important spirituality is in people's lives (including the problems they face and the potential solutions available). I don't believe in panaceas, so I certainly don't see spirituality as one. However, I do see it as an important concept that can help us put the heart back into social work. I therefore hope that these conversations about spirituality will not only continue, but will also go from strength to strength.

In recent weeks three different people I know have emailed me to say they like the site and will visit it from time to time. On each occasion I have responded to say that I am pleased they like the site but I have encouraged them to do more than just visit from time to time. I have emphasised that the site is intended to be an online community rather than just a resource to visit occasionally. So, what is an online community supposed to be? The following are the main (but not the only) features:

 

·         Discussion Online communities generally have discussion forums where people can ask questions, make comments, share ideas, seek guidance or information. This then provides a helpful resource for not only the people directly involved, but also for the many others who will ‘lurk’ (that is, read and benefit from the discussions without necessarily contributing directly). Discussion is also part of our blog facility. A blog is a ‘weblog’, a sort of online diary that people can respond to or comment on. At the moment my blog is the only one on the site but we have the facility to host many blogs (free of charge) so my hope is that, as the community becomes more established, more people will want to start blogging. If you are interested or you know anyone who is, please let me know.

·         Learning Online communities generally offer a range of learning resources and ours is no exception. We already have a databank of short articles, book reviews and training resources and these will grow over time. If you have something you want to say or a book you want to review you don’t have to ‘apply’ or ‘ask permission’, just load it straight on to the site (you have to be a registered member to do this). We also have the Social Work Wiki which is an excellent opportunity for members to contribute to building up an online social work encyclopaedia that the whole profession can benefit from.

·         News Our site has newsfeeds on the home page plus announcements, books news and details of events. Members can use this facility to find out what is going on as well as publicise their own events.

·         Access to information The Connections section of the site has links to a wide range of useful websites that social work and social care people may wish to draw on as well as a set of directories relating to various services and service providers. Members can recommend websites to add to the list and service providers can have free entries on the directories.

 

So, it should be clear that Social Work Focus is much more than a website to be visited from time to time. Why not make it your home page so that you can see what the latest news is whenever you log on to the internet? And why not tell your friends and colleagues about it? The more members we have, the more of a resource the community becomes for everyone.

People often ask me what I see as the future of social work. My response is generally that this largely depends on us as members of the profession. Of course, there will be macro-level developments in law and government policy that will be influential, but these depend in large part on how they are put into practice by professionals. And, of course, it is not only how the profession reacts towards external developments - there is also the proactive work we can do individually and collectively.

So, in terms of the future, I see a worst-case scenario and a best-case scenario. For the former I envisage an older generation of workers who are disillusioned by the way the heart has gone out of social work, how it is more about paperwork than people work, and they have become cynical and defeatist about it all, more or less burnt out. Alongside them is a newer generation of social workers who are puzzled by all this talk of 'real' social work and feel at a loss as to what they are supposed to be doing above and beyond rationing scarce resources. That is the pessimistic outlook.

The best-case scenario for me is that we all pull together to reaffirm our professionalism - a partnership-based, empowering professionalism, not a return to elitist traditional forms of professionalism - and, in doing so, reaffirm the value of social work. We do what we reasonably can to improve the situation and, at the same time, make the best of what we have got, rather than become cynical and defeatist. That is the optimistic outlook.

The reality is likely to be somewhere in between. Where we end up between those two extremes is partly down to us. Social Work Focus can, I hope, be a forum that can help to play a part in moving forward positively. Please do what you can to play your part. Social work is too important to give up on.

Welcome to the 'Neil Thompson on Social Work' blog. Here I shall be airing my views about various aspects of social work and inviting members to comment in response. I hope we will be able to have some interesting and fruitful discussions.