Social workers today face increasing demands for documentation, reporting, and productivity. While efficiency is important, many professionals worry that the human connection at the heart of social work can be lost beneath growing caseloads and administrative responsibilities. In this guest contribution, Francis Bennett reflects on the importance of staying connected to the people behind the cases….
Don’t Dabble-Go Deep
I recently attended an MSW commencement ceremony at a university in Colorado. The DSW department head addressed the graduates with a nuanced message that I felt might benefit the wider social work audience.
DSW: “As social work develops more professional practice, reflected in the advanced degree you have all earned, it becomes more complex. We no longer simply provide temporary housing for the homeless clients who come to us for shelter, but we now delve deeper into how and why the client became homeless in the first place. We uncover mental illness, PTSD, alcoholism, drug addiction, abandoned single mothers, and even the completely blameless elderly who are no longer able to support themselves, are without family, and find themselves living in their car because it’s all they have left…
“In other words, we’re going deeper, and deeper is where you will find the meaning of your life’s work.
Deeper is where the spirit within you touches the spirit within your client.
Deeper is where a stranger becomes a friend.
Deeper is where your normal inner anxiety becomes joy.
Deeper is where you find professional satisfaction…
Don’t Dabble
“I realize that our MSW course content emphasizes procedural techniques, care coordination, more intentional reporting, legal and technical protocols, teaching techniques, digital case management, and other professional practices…
“All designed to make you more efficient and effective as you go about your chosen profession…and I applaud you all for your desire and your willingness to do the hard work to become more professional…
“But be wary of more professional becoming less personal…
“As intake becomes more efficient, for example, it can begin to feel like a conveyor belt of new clients that are quickly assessed, referred to appropriate agencies, and periodically evaluated as they move along the social service conveyor belt.
Each practitioner can handle many more clients with our modern efficient tools, and this feels good to administration and even to us social workers…
“Beware, however, if you feel yourself beginning to dabble…
“You’re becoming a “dabbler” when speed starts to feel good to you. The faster you move a client through the better it feels…
“You’re starting to dabble when clients are numbered rather than named…
“A dabbler feels good at the end of the day when the number of cases handled goes up…
“If you feel yourself trying to get your client off the phone, you’re becoming a ‘dabbler”.
“If ‘case closed’ is much more satisfying then ‘case opened’, you’re ‘dabbling’.
Go Deeper
“Overwhelming caseloads, a shortage of caseworkers, and inattentive agency supervision all conspire to encourage case workers to dabble rather than go deep. The time and energy spent to get to know each client better, to actively manage their care after you refer them on to other practitioners, and to follow up after they have left your direct supervision all begin to feel like luxuries you cannot afford as you’re buried under your caseload…
“From that perspective, ‘dabbling’ begins to feel good…pausing to go deeper feels wasteful…
“For a little while until you begin to burn out…
“Burn out is social work’s biggest pitfall…
“It occurs when your kinetic energy is no longer in sync with your emotional energy…
“You can feel it and when you do you are about to burn out…
Pause
“Find a way to CARE about every case. As you efficiently skim along the surface of cases pause to remember something personal about every client. It might be something small like the name of their favorite pet, or their “nickname” in high school, or their rather large shoe size. It doesn’t matter. It’s the pause that matters…
“The pause can trigger an emotional connection. Every emotional connection deepens the interaction...
“If you feel a little antsy waiting for me to finish talking so you can rush out of here back to your life, let me share with you something personal. My middle name is Agnes. I invite you to put a sticky with the name Agnes somewhere on your desk. It will trigger a “pause” every time you see it. That is my gift to you.”
Further Reading
- Professional Qualifications & Social Work Pay: Addressing the Disparity
- The Social Worker’s Survival Kit: Tools for Effective Case Management
- 5 Ways to Manage Your Caseload Effectively
About Francis Bennett
Francis Bennett is a nonprofit consultant, writer, and human services thought leadership contributor. His work explores nonprofit leadership, social work practice, client engagement, organizational effectiveness, and the human side of helping professions.
Connect with Francis on LinkedIn.
Editor’s Note
FAMCare regularly shares perspectives from practitioners, consultants, and subject matter experts working throughout the human services community.