How to support your emotional resilience and wellbeing during the pandemic

Social work has not suddenly become stressful due to the spread of Covid-19. Community Care’s caseload survey at the start of March, which found more than 70% of the children’s social workers struggling with their existing caseload, is just one recent example of practitioners across the sector telling us about the pressures they face.

We know that in addition to longstanding heavy workloads and stretched budgets, working to support and protect adults, families and young people who are living in difficult and distressing circumstances or have experienced abuse and trauma is an inherent part of the job and can take an emotional toll. But practising during the coronavirus outbreak, when teams are depleted and families and individuals are under more strain than usual, is making a challenging role harder for many…

Why Societies Are Resilient to Disasters Like COVID-19

In times of hardship and uncertainty, many people tend to assume the worst-case scenario—or at least plan for it. Followers of the Survivalist movement have taken this idea to an extreme, creating a lifestyle from the perceived inevitability of disaster—be it nuclear war, natural disaster or global pandemic. Inherent in this worldview is the idea that in times of extreme duress, our treasured social bonds break down and we revert to a kind of Hobbesian state of nature, competing with other humans for scarce resources…