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26 FEBRUARY 2010
NO 1547
Residential work
Residential workers, like other social workers, may also be made to feel exposed in particular cases which arouse public concern. Some time ago I was involved in looking after a family who hit the headlines in the local and national press. With some relief I read the father's letter to the paper and realised that where he had mentioned my name, the print read "identification deleted". However, when the case came to court and I was one of the witnesses, my name was in the papers, and I felt that all the world was watching. Partly because of the publicity, partly because of the court hearings, I felt very exposed – as if I were the one standing trial. This case was rare, but the feeling it aroused are common in residential workers where parents, colleagues, other professionals, and society in general may all call one's activities and judgements into question.
It may seem paradoxical in a job where one is constantly with other people that another stressful feeling is loneliness and isolation. This was also highlighted for me by the case I mentioned. I found standing in a witness box before a court and the press an intensely lonely experience. No one could share that feeling at that time.
But loneliness – perhaps more accurately isolation – is frequently experienced by residential workers. However much we enjoy the children or older people for whom we care, there are times when we long for an "outsider", perhaps simply to link us with the rest of the world. I remember camping with three children and desperately needing another adult person to talk to, not because things were difficult or going wrong, just to relieve my own isolation. Similarly, I remember one day when I was alone with several babies, the relief I felt when the telephone rang.
I think another source of stress for me has been fear. Many residential workers I am sure could say with Job: "The thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me." Children seem to know our fears, and have a way of making us come face to face with them. When I feared I would lose control of a group of children, I lost control of them. When I feared things would be difficult, they usually were. Perhaps the only way or really coping with this is by insight into ourselves. This is gained in many ways: through training, group relationships and individual relationships. Through these experiences we can learn to overcome our fears, and the job becomes more manageable and less stressful in this area.
If we are at all sensitive, as hopefully residential workers are, we are constantly open to all the feelings and emotions of the people with whom we work. We share in their joys and are vulnerable to their pain. Residential workers possibly care for some of the unhappiest people in our society and I think a great source of stress for me has been the constant sharing of pain and grief, sometimes leaving an overwhelming sadness. It is painful working with children who have been separated from their families, who are rootless and troubled.
In order to cope with the stress of residential work, I have mentioned some of the things which I have found necessary: having my own home, friends and interests, training and helpful professional relationships. I also feel it is essential that one has one's own inner resources upon which to draw. An inner store of good experiences, which is usually laid down for us in our own childhood, helps us to keep going when things are hard.
Another necessity I feel is one's own system of beliefs and values which provides us with a firm base from which to work. I see these as commitment, faith and hopefulness.
Having concentrated upon the stress of residential work, I would like to conclude with this quotation from Clare Winnicott in Child Care and Social Work.1 She says: ". . . the work itself is infinitely complex and subtle and constantly challenging the resources of the adult to the full. But like most things in life, where costs are high, so can be the personal rewards and satisfactions."
JULIA STAPLES
Staples, J. (1981). The
visibility and vulnerability of residential work. In Payne, C. and
White, K. (Eds.).The Best of In Residence (Vol. 2). London.
Social Work Today. pp. 92-93.
NOTE
Winnicott, C. (1964). Child care and social work: A collection of papers written between 1954 and 1963. Welwyn. Codicote Press.
