Safety and COVID-19 in Our Professional Social Work Roles: Rights, Responsibilities, and Resources

by Erlene Grise-Owens,  Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, and Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW

     We hear you. Social workers are experiencing anxiety (rightfully so) about basic safety in professional roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. This perilous time has moved a basic premise of self-care, i.e., safety, to the forefront. Here, we provide an initial response, with resources, to help. Please, share your experiences and suggestions. And we’ll continue to update as this complex situation evolves.

     Supervisors and Administrators: Please, use this response to inform your actions and advocacy with the organization to protect your staff - which has reverberating effects.  

     All Professionals:  You may be experiencing directives that put you at risk or confusion about expectations. Please, use this message to consider your actions, inform your supervisor and colleagues, and advocate for your safety and the safety of those around you.

Safety Is a Basic Need

     In a time of crisis, it is tempting to forego basic needs. However, remember that your physical safety (as well as psychological) is paramount. Bluntly, you cannot continue to serve clients if your health is compromised or even results in your death. Keeping this mindset may seem morbid; but, it is necessary. 

     You are not being unrealistic to expect that your safety is prioritized. As with all self-care, this mindset is not being selfish or unprofessional. Actually, your self-care/safety impacts your ability to provide ethical, competent services. For instance, if you aren’t protected, you’re putting those with whom you have contact (your family, clients, colleagues, and so forth) at risk. 

     By now, we have all heard the guidelines for "flattening the curve" to minimize the risk of getting and/or spreading the coronavirus. Keep a physical distance of at least six feet from others. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds (you can sing a song or recite a mantra to time yourself) with soap and water, and do it often. Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.

     The safest and recommended (in some cases, required) course of action is to stay home except for "essential" activities. Many, if not most, "non-essential' workplaces (for-profit, nonprofit, and government), by state or local order or voluntarily, have closed physical locations for the safety of both employees and customers/clients.

     Social workers are providing essential services from home, using telehealth and other technology. For those in workplaces such as health care, domestic violence, and child welfare agencies, "essential" usually means going into homes, as well as medical and other settings. We are hearing alarming reports of shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), putting health care workers - including social workers - at risk.

     We have deep respect and appreciation for all you are doing. Your safety is important to us. You are important.

Rights and Responsibilities

    In times like these, a sense of powerlessness can be overwhelming. Self-care, in essence, is taking back your power. Know your rights and resources. Know your organization’s responsibility for risk management. Know your power/responsibility for your own self-care. 

     A crisis throws a system into disequilibrium. The organization has an ethical and pragmatic responsibility for risk management and making all efforts to mitigate risk. In this crisis, the organization may be tempted to forego that basic responsibility. In the short and long term, the organization must be held accountable for that responsibility. In the short term, to minimize immediate risk. And in the long term, to prevent adversarial outcomes - e.g., lawsuits. 

     Ultimately, dear colleague, each of us holds responsibility/power to affect and advocate for our own well-being/safety. Please, guard against the fallacies that run rampant in times of crises, such as group-think. Promote critical thinking. For instance, some of the ordinary protocols that require physical proximity to clients and colleagues may be creatively and critically modified to ensure physical distancing. Consider your role critically; guard against “need complex.” Use your power to make decisions to protect your own well-being and advocate for yourself and others. 

     Below are some resources to inform your decisions and use to advocate.

Safety Resources

• American Association of University Professors (AAUP). For those of you in academic settings, AAUP and the American Federation of Teachers formulated principles to guide higher education’s response to COVID-19.
• Regulatory Boards play a particular role in giving guidance for credentialed professionals. Contact your state social work licensing board for clarification and advocacy regarding your protection - in terms of safety and other aspects of ethical practice.
• State Government Guidelines. In this crisis, a Federal response with consistent guidelines is lacking. So, state responses are paramount. For example, in Kentucky, the Governor was at the forefront in taking decisive steps, giving leverage for professionals to seek protective and risk mitigation measures. Kentucky’s governor and New York’s governor give daily updates that, even if you are not in these states, might provide helpful clarity.
• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 23, states: “Everyone has the right…to just and favourable conditions and to protection against unemployment.” Safety is a basic human right.
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC has specific guidelines for organizations to follow during the COVID pandemic. Their site has tabs for particular groups, such as health workers, homeless populations, colleges and universities, and so forth.
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC also provides information for health care personnel on caring for patients with confirmed or possible COVID-19 infection.
• U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety, and Health Administration (OSHA). U.S. Federal law provides protection for workers who are being placed in unsafe roles. Use OSHA’s Right to Refuse Dangerous Work. Also, OSHA issued COVID-19 specific directives.
• World Health Organization. WHO published specific directives for workplaces Also, WHO provides a document clarifying rights, roles, and responsibilities in this crisis
• Your Organization’s Policy Manual. At all times, the employing organization’s policies provide direction and, during this crisis, can provide clarity and recourse.  For instance, policies about staff safety, risk management, and related topics might be informative. And regrettably, but realistically, grievance procedures could be applicable. 

     The New Social Worker is publishing resources on practice during the COVID-19 crisis.

     For additional information, see our page on COVID-19 resources from social work professional organizations.

     Finally, and in some ways, foremost: Your own Self-Care Plan is a key resource, which includes reminding yourself that you are a human being, with a human need/right for safety. Your self-care plan includes asking for help and shoring up supports. In this time of physical distancing, social connection and spiritual synergy are even more important aspects of self-care.

     We are all in this - together. Let’s stay connected. 

In Self-Care Solidarity,  

Erlene and Linda

Dr. Erlene Grise-Owens, Ed.D., LCSW, MSW, MRE, is a Partner in The Wellness Group, ETC.  Dr. Grise-Owens is lead editor of The A-to-Z Self-Care Handbook for Social Workers and Other Helping Professionals. 

Linda May Grobman, MSW, ACSW, LSW, is the publisher and editor of The New Social Worker magazine and editor of Days in the Lives of Social Workers.