First-year Practice Experiences of Statutory Children’s Social Workers from Ethnic Minority Groups

This Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), qualitative research study explores the first-year social work practice experiences of statutory children and family social workers from Ethnic Minority Groups (EMGs) in England. Most studies explore the first-year practice experiences of all newly qualified social workers (NQSWs), but not specifically the first-year experiences of NQSWs, or Internationally Qualified Social Workers (IQSWs) from EMGs, leaving a gap in knowledge. To gain an understanding on why certain experiences may have occurred, some policies associated with social work have been analysed. The study explores the experiences of support, managing the workload, and reasons why some social workers may exit their roles. Seven participants were interviewed, (five qualified in England, two abroad) (main-study) and three participants (phase-two) which was a focus-group of experts (social work managers) who validated the themes from the main study. Findings indicate that a small number of participants received effective formal support. However, most NQSW-participants felt forced to depend on ad hoc peer support due to insufficient formal supervision from their managers. IQSW-participants felt supported, but lack of a formal adaptation programme rendered that support unhelpful. A gap in law has been identified as having led to the unavailability of a formal support programme for IQSWs. Therefore, a new policy is needed to formulate formal support for IQSWs. Participants expressed that they would have not been able to manage their workloads, if they had not donated their resting time and worked out of hours. Additionally, unmanageable workloads have been found to cause stress and burnout, leading to forced long absences for some participants, with others seeking refuge in locums or exiting their roles in promotion of their wellbeing. While the majority of this study’s findings suggest that black social workers particularly males, may be the least accepted ethnic minority group within statutory children services in England. Other findings provide a counterbalance, suggesting that some can experience acceptance and inclusion.