THE RESILIENCE OF SOCIAL WORKERS WHEN WORKING WITH THE HOMELESS IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Social workers (SWs) experience a multitude of challenges in their work with their clients and stakeholders. Despite such stressors, these professionals continue to thrive in such circumstances and remain resilient in their work. One such group of SWs are those working with the homeless in Singapore. Due to the complexity of homelessness, SWs have to address behavioral and mental health issues commonly observed in these clients, amidst having to collaborate with other stakeholders on housing, financial applications amongst other issues. Despite the long existence of homelessness and work with the homeless, there remains a dearth in literature regarding the challenges and facilitators SWs experience when working with homeless, not to mention in the local context. Additionally, while past resilience research has been extensive, there is also a lack in research exploring the resilience of SWs when working with this community. This thesis is thus an exploratory study exploring the challenges and facilitators SWs face when working with the homeless in Singapore, and how resilience is manifested in these SWs amidst their work challenges. Adopting Liu’s Multisystem Model of Resilience (MSMR), this qualitative study interviewed 10 SWs whose organizations worked with homeless clients in Singapore. Key findings found that SWs experienced challenges when working with homeless clients inhibited by clients’ personal circumstances and organizations’ lack of standardized protocols. Nonetheless, clients’ personal motivations, resourcefulness, and close partnership with other stakeholders were highlighted as facilitators to their work. The study also found that SWs relied on both internal and external resources to manage the challenges faced in their work and leveraged on reflective practices to deal with their work stress. Findings hope to contribute to the dearth in literature on resilience of SWs when working with the homeless. The findings also serve to highlight the importance of organization culture in helping to increase the resilience of SWs when working with homeless clients.