In this blog post for the Global Social Service Workforce Alliance, part of a series celebrating Social Service Workforce Week, Colleen Fitzgerald writes about the need to support the social service workforce and to promote the well-being of caseworkers and social workers. "While the work itself is deeply meaningful and essential, it is also relentless in hurdles and stress. There are often complicated family dynamics, dangerous environments and significant legal and bureaucratic obstacles. In addition, witnessing the suffering of children and their families on a constant basis can lead to vicarious trauma and burnout," writes Fitzgerald. "With the complexity of the work and the high demands on workers, governments, NGOs and community-based organizations should not expect them to do it alone." Fitzgerald goes on to outline some of the learning from the development of the Inter-agency Case Management Supervision and Coaching Package, including the importance of supervision and the improved outcomes for children and families from investment in worker supervision and coaching.
