Abstract:
The aim of this small scale study was to give social workers working in statutory agencies an opportunity to tell their story about “How social workers working in statutory agencies in New Zealand manage their workloads”. Eight qualified, registered and experienced social workers were recruited to talk about their experiences and the strategies, tools and behaviours they had developed over time with the view to sharing their experiences with other social workers so that they too might manage their workloads. The reason for choosing the topic of workload management in the field of statutory social work was at first personal to the researcher who has often wondered why some social workers successfully manage workloads that are complex and demanding while other social workers with the same amount of experience and qualifications struggle to maintain control over their workloads with some becoming stressed and unable to cope. Thematic analysis identified nine themes that were then explored using the details in the findings. The themes identified by the participants highlighted the importance of organisational support that is structured and supportive, the availability of sufficient and appropriate resources to do the job and the ability to utilise the reporting systems of the organisation to their own benefit. Further it was important for social workers to have the ability to take personal control over things they can control, personal responsibility for self-care, knowing what the job is all about, managing the time available to do the job, having the skills and knowledge to do the job and lastly access to training that meets their needs. Participants in this study expressed the view that they wanted their suggestions and strategies for managing workload available to the wider social work population in the hope that they might prevent other social workers getting to the point of not coping with their work.