Social Work in the Times of Pandemic: Experiences of Social Workers in Kashmir

Social workers have been an integral part of pandemic squads in combating the crisis created by Covid-19. They have been working at the ground level along with healthcare workers and security forces to contain the virus and reach the needy. While doing so, the social workers have faced various challenges everywhere with Kashmir being no exception. The study is based in Kashmir province of the Jammu and Kashmir union territory of India. It was conducted with 17 participant professional social workers working in different governmental and non-governmental organizations working in Kashmir (India). A qualitative research approach was used to study the challenges faced by social workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Kashmir. Thematic analysis was used to arrive at the findings. Themes emerged from the study include increased workload and complexity of cases, physical health issues and Covid risk, mental health issues and burnout, familial responsibilities, redispositioning and change in job profiles, ethical challenges, hurdles in going digital and need for staff with expertise in mental health. The themes delineate the experiences of the professional social workers during COVID-19 pandemic in Kashmir.