The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on new graduate social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the world in many ways, and social workers have been at the forefront in multiple health and social services settings since the beginning. For new graduate social workers, many have experienced disruptions to their studies as well as their social work career postqualification. These disruptions include not being able to attend their placements in person, having to change their placements’ part way through, and working from home with little support and/or guidance from their employer. There is a need to understand new graduate social workers' experiences during the pandemic and the implications for social work education and social work practice, both now and in the future. In this mixed methods study, 36 new graduate social workers in Aotearoa New Zealand completed an online survey and six completed a follow-up interview. Through thematic analysis several key themes were identified regarding new graduate social workers' preparedness for the pandemic, the impact on their mental health and their experiences of the communication and support they received both from their tertiary provider and/or employer. Within these themes, several subthemes emerged that elicited several implications for social work practice and social work's ability to respond effectively to pandemics and/or disasters.