Social Work and Political Conflict: Researching the Views of Social Workers in Northern Ireland

Cluster area: International Social Work and Global Issues

Background and Purpose

Despite the fact that social workers have been dealing with the legacy of the Northern Ireland conflict for fifty years, few empirical studies have been carried out in this field.  A decade old study revealed the experiences of mental health social workers in dealing with violent contexts and the choices they made in helping clients (Campbell and McCrystal, 2005). More recently, ways of preparing students for practice in such contexts have been explored with a particular focus on engaging victims and survivors as educators in social work educational programmes (Coulter et al, 2013; Campbell et al, 2013).

Methods

The aim of the study was to identify ways in which social workers were affected by and intervened in the lives of clients experiencing conflict related problems.

A mixed method approach was used to achieve this aim and recruitment to the study was achieved through stakeholders in a range of social work agencies in Northern Ireland. An online survey was launched in September 2017 designed to elicit demographic, likert scale responses and open text responses from social workers (n=103) who had practiced in the period before the signing of the Belfast Peace Agreement (1998). In addition, the research team purposively sampled respondents who were known to have particular experiences relevant to the study objectives. Follow up interviews with a stratified sample (n=30) of this population were carried out from January - May 2018. Data was analysed using SPSS to elicit descriptive, univariate and bivariate analysis and Nvivo for the qualitative responses from both populations. Appropriate ethical approval was also granted for the research.

Results

Respondents had more encounters with bomb scares and road blocks compared to other forms of violence (shootings, bombings, sectarian abuse). A total estimate of 3645 incidents were reported.61% percent felt that they had been at moderate or high levels of risk and 48% said that their own sense of cultural and religious identity had been moderately or highly challenged. The trauma of these types of incidents became normalised as part of the job and only in later years on reflection does the magnitude and severity of this type of challenging work really strike home. The need to get on with the job always came first and often at great personal risk for many of the social workers involved.

Conclusions and Implications

Social workers in Northern Ireland have been exposed to high levels of multiple adversities where detachment from the wider violent and political milieu has been an important way of coping. Faced with such challenges, social workers in conflict situations need the support of colleagues and employers as a necessary part of coping. This is particularly important in offsetting the professional and personal impact of trauma in later years. This research therefore has implications for both policy, practice and education in the context of social work and political conflict.