While many social workers work primarily at the micro level and provide treatment to individuals, children, and families in some form or another, we must not forget our macro and societal level values for advocacy and social change. The societal and structural inequities of our communities are often neglected due to the high volume of individual, family, and community needs balanced against the low wages for their carers and not enough resources to meet the demand.
With this in mind, I have been progressively evolving toward a strong calling to impact change in our profession to improve outcomes for social workers. The impact of the profession and the work of social workers often go unnoticed when identifying the resources to help increase outcomes for vulnerable populations. More specific, I believe as a profession we are not receiving our due recognition and benefit for the career commitments we make to those we serve.
During many recent well publicized contract negotiations in Ontario among many social work professional sectors, it became apparent that we are an undervalued and misunderstood profession in terms of the phenomenal cost that many of our colleagues experience from being professional helpers.
In particular, there has been well researched and documented evidence supporting the personal, professional, and familial toll social workers experience from the sustained levels of stress. Social workers often carry and live with high rates of trauma and secondary trauma in which many experience on a daily basis.
The most blatant inequity our profession experience is in contrast to our first responder partners and colleagues, namely Police, Fire, and Ambulance personnel. There is seemingly little backlash at the societal level with the rate of pay that Police are deservingly provided. However, the rate of pay difference is consistently $20-$40,000 per year compared to our rates of pay.
Even more substantial is the retirement benefits that come with being a Police officer, for example. Due to their duty and risk, they have an earlier retirement age granted to them as a benefit of protecting the public and placing their lives at risk in their jobs. However, many public sector social workers jobs have the same hazardous designation as police officers without any of the support, resources, or compensation.
With this in mind, it is very apparent both anecdotally and empirically, the extreme high rates of psychological, emotional risks and injury social workers encounter from our duties. Using child protection social workers as a cohort, there have been many empirical studies completed on this group which demonstrate high rates of trauma and secondary trauma and it is now well know that adverse events in one’s work carries a very high cost to one’s health as a whole.
Anecdotally, we know that a social worker who has 10 years of experience is likely to be a “lifer” in that they will continue in a social work career until retirement. My concern for us a profession is that 5 or 10 extra years of working carries a potentially huge toll on a person’s quality of life in later years. This is easy to prove empirically with the wealth of research in the areas of chronic stress and trauma.
Obviously, I am very passionate about the life long health hazards of our work, and I would like to see our profession really take the time to consider all that we know about the risks of our work and more generally how to compensate people for the cost of caring.
https://youtu.be/_rBocCyqsb0
Love and Light. <3
Tomás Burgos I know where you’re coming from, and I do get your perspective. Personally, I believe everyone should have a livable wage and that every profession should be honored and respected (including teachers) ;). But, I have to say, that social workers do have a stigma attached to them that it’s ok to be overworked and underpaid. There is this idea that those that go into the field do it because they are passionate for it, and therefore, will take whatever salary is afforded. It’s much akin to what we’ve done with airline pilot’s salaries. If you making mid 40’s, that’s great. Most social work jobs these days are paying $10.00 o $11.00 an hour. Of course it depends on your state. I live in FL, which has a governor who has cut many social programs…requiring social workers to take on larger case loads. As you know, the job is stressful…and in some cases, you have to make life and death decisions with your clients. I think that even a janitor would say, “You guys have it tougher than I do.”
Helena M. Nanasy-Loges I have learned many things from my clients, including forgiveness, compassion, and humility. They often bring me to my knees in terms of how resilient and humble they are, in spite of the challenges they go through and the things they forfeit. And they certainly make me reflect on all the things that I have that I don’t need. They bring me a healthy dose of perspective. I mean…social workers complaining about teachers and “sweepers” making more money? What does that even mean? That there are some sort of categories to people? Should a janitor earn less than me? Why exactly? Should a fast food worker earn less than me? Shoud a teacher earn less than a social worker? Are cooks supposed to earn less than us just by virtue of being cooks? If you are a social worker and you answer “yes”…ask yourself why. And rethink your profession.
Really good article… Totally agree…”pay me what you owe me”! LMBO
That has being my point….paper work, paper work…underpay.
Tats y we are moving to abroad for job…me too looking for the same…
Couldn’t have said it better myself Helena M. Nanasy-Loges
Hey in our country sw salary is lesser than a sweeper salary
Social worker making $30,000 right here and teachers in my area are making 48,000 and up
Highly unlikely
How sad
Tomas, nobody is arguing your point that there are a lot of destitute people in this country…which is why I am voting for Bernie Sanders. All those stats that Angie provided made a valid point regarding how our system works and how money is spent. Not sure why you refused to digest that information?
Angie Staft Yeah, those good-for-nothing teachers have it made, don’t they? You should get off your soapbox indeed; go and create a social workers union yourself.
Helena M. Nanasy-Loges “we need to change the meme in this country that teachers are underpaid and unappreciated and start focusing on those that REALLY are”Like most of our clients you mean? Talk about underpaid! Some ( a lot) of them don’t even have a roof over their heads; some (a lot) of them don’t even know where their next meal will come from, you know? Again, perspective…
Well said Angie! and Tomas, you are correct, I am not a teacher, but I have family members that are and are doing quite well. My point was that we need to change the meme in this country that teachers are underpaid and unappreciated and start focusing on those that REALLY are….like social workers.
Probably the situation in IL is where my perspective comes from. Half the population is in relative poverty, but teachers strike for weeks at a time if they don’t get a big enough raise % for the year. Some teachers making $100K already. And they get paid to strike. But, I will get off my soapbox.
I live in IL, where Medicaid and other funds for the poor were slashed to pay for teacher raises and pensions. 60% of property taxes go to school districts. 17% of high school students do math at grade level here. Children have school ~170 days per year.
LOL Clearly, neither one of you is a teacher, because you are saying things that are not exactly true. Oh, well…at least both teachers and social workers have a salary, period. How many of our clients are completely destitute? Perspective, people, perspective.
“Whenever I remember that many of my clients are homeless and devoid of even the most basic of human needs —some of them even lacking good health ro allow them to pursue those needs— and yet they wake up every day with a smile on their faces and grateful to be alive, I stop complaining about poor ole me with my 40-45-K-year salary.” <—————Unpopular opinion, but I totally agree with it. We take so many things for granted, we spend on so many things that we don’t really need, and we convince ourselves that in order to have a “decent life,” we have to have certain things that, frankly, are a privilege to many of our clients. I am just content with having a job that pays my bills, keeps a roof over my head, and allows me to cover my basic needs. If I had wanted to earn 80 K a year, I would have certainly not chosen this profession, which is all about helping others. And again, those others are usually people who have nothing. #firstworldproblems #socialwork #notrichbuthappy
I had a caseworker position once, $9/hr (in ’01). My population was children with developmental disabilities, some dually diagnosed with bipolar disorder, etc. I had caseworker duties with only my Associates, including written behavioral assessments on various prescribed psych meds, which I was allowed to dispense under no direct nursing supervision. I violated my ethics code before even being eligible to be certified, for peanuts also. I quit shortly into it, and since furthering my education, I am stunned to have taken part in something I know was probably unethical. Psych meds to children are a terrible thing under most circumstances. Never would I work for an agency that uses children for guinea pigs for shrinks. I’m sure everyone else involved in these activities then and now makes a much better salary, like the non existent nurses, and shrinks that rake in the profits and kickbacks. BSW in my area are lucky to make $11/hr to this day.
Exactly. They don’t get time off, tenure, discounts, or a pat on the back everywhere they go.
Social workers don’t get 4+ paid months off per year either, and are legally held accountable for doing a bad job also.
It is just accepted in our society that social workers should be overworked and underpaid. I don’t get it. The average salary for a social worker in my area is $42K a year…while the average salary for a teacher is $47K. We constantly hear how teachers are underpaid and unappreciated, yet no one is talking about social workers. Their job is equally tough, if not more so, yet they don’t have unions to help support their cause.