The COVID-19 pandemic – a worldwide crisis that no professional course, in-house training, or supervision prepared us for. In this unprecedented situation, what did social workers do?  They reacted in the way they have been trained – trying to identify social networks and strengthening them.

In the context of social distancing, what better way to do this then by organising a webinar? Until a few weeks ago, this was a rare event, used only when there was no other option, but virtual meetings and conferences have now become the order of the day.

The webinar, organised by the Maltese Association of Social Workers in collaboration with the Department of Social Policy and Social Work of the University of Malta and the Safeguarding Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta, saw a number of social workers talking about their practice.  Their areas of work varied across academia to working with migrants, from mental health to domestic violence, from residential care for elderly persons to residential care for children and adolescents.

The broad range of social workers spoke about how they have adapted their practice to cope with the requirements brought about by the pandemic.  The commitment to being there for vulnerable persons and making social work services work shone through in all the content, including the introduction of the webinar, the presentation of the participants, the general introduction to the subject and the concluding comments. 

Some social workers have been supporting clients facing exacerbated mental health issues- Pat Bonello

The content of the webinar was embedded in hope. This over-arching sentiment is helping social workers cope. It is driving them forward to be there for clients and other stakeholders, plan interventions more creatively and care for themselves and others. 

The new normal as a result of the pandemic is challenging social workers to find original ways of maintaining boundaries, using supportive structures such as supervision and coping with the disruption of their work-life balance. 

Hearing the practitioners tell their stories made one proud to be a social worker.  They spoke of the challenges but also highlighted the positive aspects of the situation, some of which were unexpected.  Social workers addressed the difficulty of working with people who have lost everything, including their job. Some gave up personal contact in a number of situations while others were suddenly homeschooling group of 11 children and young people. They had to cope with the tragedy of losing people at sea or move into lockdown with a group of over 150 elderly people.

Some social workers have been supporting clients facing exacerbated mental health issues because of the situation, while others have witnessed a spike in domestic violence cases as survivors’ opportunity to report dwindled. 

They described dealing with students whose courses were abruptly interrupted and transferred online, with some anxiety over whether final year students will graduate within the usual time-frames. 

But despite these difficulties, the participants also talked about the positive aspects – more meaningful contact as a result of more time spent with clients; the appreciation of clients when contact was maintained; the determination to have services available when needed; the increased possibility of collaborating with other professionals; greater availability to students; and the solidarity being shown by members of the public.

One surprising impact was a decrease in stress many experienced, even though they were in a situation which had the potential to be extremely stressful. This came about because of the need to focus on the essential fulcrum of social work practice – relationships. 

When mundane pressures such as time constraints, traffic and parking problems are stripped away, social workers are able to find innovative ways of strengthening their relationships with their clients, with their colleagues and with students, even if they have to do so at a distance. 

It is proving to be demanding in a number of ways.  However, hearing social workers speak with such passion, with such keen awareness of social work values and with a determination to take some positives out of this situation, created a sense of collegiality among all the participants.  We left the webinar with hope in our heart, missing the physical contact but so grateful to be part of this vibrant community. 

Pat Bonello is a lecturer, Department of Social Policy and Social Work.