Affiliation:
1. Xiamen University, Fujian, China
Abstract
Despite the growing importance of self-care in the retention of social workers, its practice has been rarely studied. This study investigated the self-care strategies utilized by social workers to enhance retention in China. This study comprised individual in-depth interviews with 49 experienced social workers and three focus group discussions. Findings showed that five categories of personal self-care strategies and six categories of professional self-care strategies were identified. Emphases on self-care practice differed at three distinct career stages, frontline social workers, project officers or managers, and organizational managers. Self-care practice was revealed as indispensable for social workers’ retention in China, identifying distinct Chinese characteristics and highlighting the global nature of the ecological perspective of self-care. The study discusses the implications for social workers, educators, social services organizations, government, and the public.
Funder
The National Social Science Fund of China
Subject
General Social Sciences,General Arts and Humanities