Abstract

Objective: There is an extensive literature looking at social work burnout and the links with retention and job satisfaction. Less developed is the emerging literature which explores the effectiveness of social workers in long term care settings. However, the links between the two are rarely considered and the aim of this presentation is to ask why this should be the case and if there are links between the two.

Data and methods: The presentation draws on two systematic scoping reviews into the effectiveness of social work with adults and roles and functions of social workers in England to examine what we know about social work effectiveness and burnout.

Results: The diverse methodological approaches across different studies mean that the paper will be essentially conceptual, considering what the evidence suggests about ways of developing new empirical research.

Policy implications: High rates of turnover among social workers in long term care have mean that government plans aimed at improving outcomes for people using long term care services may be compromised. This paper asks whether more attention to aspects such as job control and autonomy would help improve outcomes for people using services and carers.

Slides