Social Workers Are Super Heroes
Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions shared on this platform are my own, and not a representation of my employers or clients.
First Responder (noun) someone designated or trained to respond to an emergency.
"the lifeguards are trained as first responders"
What’s The 411?
I want to take this opportunity to write these few lines, to share with you about a topic that is constantly on my mind. The term first responder is something I often struggle with, and how those words are connected or not, to social workers and our vocation. For starters, for as much as we do in our daily roles it just feels to me that we are continuously undervalued and often unseen. I understand that we chose our professional paths; we also agreed to abide by the ethical mandates that underscores our vision and mission statements as seen by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” The NASW statement is one that I am proud of; in fact, I wear those words on my sleeve and carry them tightly in my heart. However, we must also agree that as social workers we usually go way and beyond what is acknowledged above. So as a symbol of our month, the month of the Social Worker, I want us to think about what we need to do, to push towards a more equitable playing field that places respect on our profession and title.
HOW THEY SEE US
Check this out, the Department of U.S. Commerce says that “first responders across the country put their lives on the line to keep Americans safe. An estimated 4.6 million people serve as career and volunteer firefighters, police, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics in the United States.” (www.commerce.gov)
In no way shape or form am I here trying to undermine the great work that is done by our police, firefighters, doctors, and EMS workers. What I am trying to convey here, is that social workers have also earned the right to be included in those declarations and blanketed assertions on every platform.
Social Workers Matter
We too put our lives on the line every day, and we proudly take on challenges within our field and beyond. I chose not to reference any of America’s past life changing catastrophes in this document, as a show of respect to everyone involved worldwide in those senseless attacks. I also prefer not to reference how valuable the social worker was during those tragic incidents to demonstrate our value to this nation without mentioning those examples. I think we can all agree that social workers are ready and on-call Anywhere and Everywhere.
“More Than Just” Facts Here
NASW cites that “Social work is one of the fastest growing careers in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were more than 715,000 social work jobs in 2020. The profession is expected to grow by 12 percent by 2030.”
How We Stack Up
I want us to take a closer look at the impact of the social worker during an emergency response situation. Let’s see if we meet the criteria of “the first responder” using the measuring tools often looked upon as the ER standards : Planning, Training, Staffing, Volunteers, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Use this link listed at the end of this sentence to look deeper at the social worker variations we offer, there are 16 Types of Social Workers.
Planning
During all situations social workers are strategic planners. In fact, we might be one of the only professionals that can walk into a crisis unprepared, and somehow make a connection to meet the client (s) where they are.
Training
We are “go-getters” when providing training, we also can develop and implement academic curriculum at schools or outpatient groups. I can think of many examples but here’s one. Supporting a young mother who is recovering from a traumatic experience who is also dealing with bereavement and substance use. Albeit this torrid situation, social workers are the only professionals who are skilled in all of the layered areas cited above including: case management, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, grief counseling, residential treatment, community inpatient, parenting skills training, intensive outpatient programs, etc. to ensure our clients have the training they need on their paths towards recovery and success post a traumatic event.
Staffing & Responsibilities
Let’s go with the Administrative Social Worker here, who delegates and provides high-level social services, whether that is working with a government group like FEMA; or working alongside The Department of Children and Families which always have social workers on staff to handle problematic family court cases, and other emergency responses to support children and families post an unexpected traumatic event.
Volunteers
We all know that whenever a life-changing event arises social workers are the first-to-respond (pun intended). We roll out whenever duty calls and support ANYONE who needs help. This includes uniting a group of volunteers or putting together a social advocacy group to support the disabled, homeless, or incarcerated populations.
Preparedness
In the event of a major crisis, social workers are ready to create, disperse, and ignite effective emergency plans to support those in need. This can be done during an earthquake, storm, or an attack to American soil. Social workers are present and readily available. This can look like the community advocacy social worker to support on the ground level. This may also include supporting patients who have severe medical situations to ensure they have their durable medical equipment, and devices. The public health social worker is also effective here to ensure that communities are trained and prepared if we need to engage government or community facilities during an emergency response crisis.
Response
Social workers spearhead this area as well. During the COVID-19 pandemic social workers used their training and expertise to oversee safety plans, implement special attention with communication in relation to our severe mental health patients, which included home visits when deemed appropriate. We are superb within multidisciplinary team platforms too, the hospital social workers show up in all aspects of an emergency crisis; this includes supporting families where casualties sadly occur, military cases to protect our soldiers, system navigation, health insurance and after care. The hospice social worker is another leader who is available to ensure that the best level of care is always at the forefront of our patients and families.
Recovery
We have seen countless situations where families have lost their loved ones to a tragic experience. Trauma and adverse circumstances seem to pile up during an emergency or an unexpected event. This includes when domestic violence cases go awry, like a child witnesses the loss of their parents or supporting a domestic violence parent survivor. These are the sort of barriers that we social workers unhappily have to face time and time again. The readiness and expertise of the social worker is critical here, which might include promote awareness, evacuation and safety plans for families, job placement, and relocating the family. Yes, social workers we come through in all these situations as well.
Suffice to say, there is not an emergency that Social Workers are not equipped to tackle. We go beyond the first responder, we really are superheroes. Click here
Salute to every single Social Worker worldwide, love and respect to all the social workers who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Our fight continues because you paved the way for us. So, it Shall Be.
Till Next Time, Same Bat Time Same Bat Channel
References:
https://www.socialworkers.org/News/Facts/Types-of-Social-Work
https://www.socialworkers.org/
https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2022/10
https://www.you-tube.com/watch?v=A27QjpQ_Ieo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mXyXXYXwlQ
