Exploring children's services workers’ perceptions of COVID-19: Trauma, connection and creativity

• Participatory action research employing focus groups and interviews with 31 children's services workers in Western Canada revealed traumatic experiences and commitment and creativity in their work during the COVID-19 pandemic. • The COVID-19 pandemic created restrictions, inconsistencies in policy implementation and practice, increased stressors and workloads, yet social workers were creative and innovative and went beyond the norm to care for and meet the needs of children and families. • Recommendations for training, practice, and policy are offered to ensure future needs of children's services workers and children and families are met during times of adversity. Children services workers (CSWs) in child welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic were tasked with providing services amidst various government mandates and restrictions causing a multitude of effects. To examine the lived experience of CSWs practice during COVID-19. 31 CSWs were recruited from a Western Province in Canada. This participatory action research utilized 7 focus groups and 4 interviews with frontline and supervisory CSWs. Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis approach and coding processes were employed. The findings revealed difficult and traumatic experiences, along with the commitment, creativity and innovation of the workers. Technology was a necessary resource and a barrier in service delivery. Three main themes and associated subthemes that emerged included 1) the trauma of COVID, with subthemes: influences on CSWs, and influences on children and families, 2) practice context matters , with subthemes the impacts on policy and service delivery, and accessibility and lack of resources, and 3) connection, creativity, and removal of perceived barriers, with subthemes, relationships matter, and innovative practices. The study highlighted how CSWs were affected during the pandemic by government restrictions, inconsistent practice and policy implementation, increased stressors, and workloads, and the experience of deaths. It was evident that CSWs were courageous, creative, and innovative, as well as hardworking, committed, and persevered in providing services to children and families. Recommendations for training, practice and policy are offered.