Social Workers’ Experiences in Caring for Irregular Migrants During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain: A Qualitative Study

The aim of this study is to describe and understand social workers' experiences of caring for irregular migrants (IMs) in Emergency Care and Referral Centres (ECRCs) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive qualitative study was designed including 17 in-depth interviews with social workers (SWs) in Spain. The results highlighted three main themes: 1. Protecting ourselves to protect them (IMs); 2. Managing confinement to tackle the health crisis; and 3. Caught between personal commitment and professional development. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the nature of care that SWs provided to IMs in ECRCs; it focused on protection measures, confinement procedures and meeting basic health needs. The changing role of the SW implied a need for training in public health and mediation of the problems that stemmed from confinement. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a clash between SWs' professional empowerment and personal engagement in caring for IMs. Increased professional recognition was accompanied by stigmatization, psychological stress and family problems for SWs.