Majority of social workers suffer from mental instability due to their job

More than two-thirds of social workers experience mental or emotional instability as a result of their job, according to a British Association of Social Workers (BASW) poll.

The survey of 1,392 social workers revealed that 70 per cent of respondents remain fearful that they are left unable to protect children because of the constraints of their job.

The poll showed that 68 per cent of social workers have experienced mental or emotional instability as a result of their work, with 45 per cent of these being forced to take time off as a result.

Nushra Mansuri, BASW’s professional officer for England, said: “These findings highlight the grave danger of any potential cuts to social work services. To cut protection services that are already stripped to the bone is unthinkable. The majority of families we support live in poverty and as the financial crisis deepens in the UK, they come under even more pressure.

“Demand for social services continues to rise, resources continue to diminish and if the government can’t protect frontline services then I dread to think what will happen to society.”

Coming just days after Professor Eileen Munro’s initial report on the state of the child protection system in England, the survey found that 54 per cent of BASW members feel that the review won’t make a difference to frontline services.