Exploring the Contrasting Sources of Stress and Job Satisfaction across three different areas of UK Statutory Social Work

The UK social work workforce is in a state of crisis, characterised by high vacancy and agency rates, staff sickness and turnover. As such, recent years have seen an increased focus on how the job satisfaction of UK social workers can be better understood and improved, as well as how the factors underpinning workforce instability can be addressed. Previous research has largely failed to compare the contrasting sources of stress and job satisfaction amongst UK social workers. This article reports on the qualitative component of a mixed method study. Drawing from focus groups and interviews with 35 UK social workers, the article considers the different contributors to stress and job satisfaction of social workers across three fields of statutory practice. It considers how the perceived public perception of the role; adequacy of resources; and consistency of workspace are impacting upon practitioners’ sense of stress and job satisfaction. Implications include the need to promote opportunities for social workers to explain the features of their role to members of the public; the importance of ensuring adequate resources to meet the individual needs of service users; and the potential negative impact of agile working arrangements.