Enough Is Enough! The Story of a Case of Leaving the Profession of Social Worker

Abstract

A social worker, supporting social welfare clients in the process of empowerment and social integration, often performs professional duties at risk of his own health (and sometimes his life). Even the best-prepared social workers, confronted with the realities of social welfare and the expectations of both the employer and clients, may decide to leave their job. The purpose of the research was to analyze the reasons for leaving the profession of a social worker based on the experience of a long-term employee of the municipal social welfare center. The focus was on the diagnosis of burnout of the examined case and the factors that led to his resignation from work in the area of social assistance. The subject is analytically difficult, it is a pioneering area of scientific inquiry. The article is one of the few to address the issue of research in the area of professional decisions of experienced social workers in Poland. The research presented in the article shows that the changing economic and social realities have posed many new challenges for social worker, which has caused the need to revise the existing motivations and willingness to continue working in the profession. It should be emphasized that the results of the presented qualitative research do not allow one to make too far-reaching conclusions and generalizations.