[Sg] - Social workers in Sg suffer depression from overwork and underpay

[UltimaOnline]

‘I did not want to get out of bed’: Social workers face complex challenges, burnout​

SINGAPORE - After watching a movie about a social worker trying to save a young girl from her abusive parents, 14-year-old Siti Nur Diyanah Hardy vowed to become someone who would one day help children facing difficulties.

She made good on her promise. Ms Diyanah is today a child safety officer at the Rainbow Centre, a social service organisation she joined in 2021.

The 31-year-old was the first Malay student to graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with first class honours in social work in 2015.

Passion fuelled her when she started working upon graduation. Soon, the challenges of the work – round-the-clock interactions with those in need, and the difficult problems her clients faced – proved overwhelming.

Six months into her job, Ms Diyanah found herself experiencing burnout.

She said: “I woke up and I did not want to get out of bed. When I was home, I hardly spoke to my family and just stayed in my room as I felt very tired.

“I realised I was burned out when I was about to have a session with one of my clients and felt like I didn’t want to go, which had never happened before. I’m usually always happy to see them, so when I realised my heart was not in it, I knew it was a problem.”

She spoke to her supervisor about getting support and took a break before returning to work.

Her heart remains in social work and she said: “I feel very passionately and strongly about children and their right to be safe. That keeps me going.”

Tuesday is World Social Work Day, which recognises the achievements of social workers and seeks to raise the visibility of social services in society.

In a speech in 2022, President Halimah Yacob highlighted how social workers are at the heart of the community. With Singapore facing a rapidly ageing population and slowing social mobility, she said social workers will continue to play an important role to uplift individuals and families in need.

Ms Tan Sze Wee, president of the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW), told The Straits Times in an interview last week that burnout is a pressing issue.

She said: “We work with people. I think when you work with people, there’s a lot of giving of yourself. I would say that the aspects of our work and the nature of it then present us with a higher risk of burnout if we do not take care of ourselves.”

She noted that educating and preparing social workers for the roles they will play have been given greater priority because of the high risk of burnout.

“We really need to remind them that before you care for others, you have to care for yourselves first.”

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...ocial-workers-face-complex-challenges-burnout

 

[laksaboy]

After watching a movie about a social worker trying to save a young girl from her abusive parents, 14-year-old Siti Nur Diyanah Hardy vowed to become someone who would one day help children facing difficulties.

The trick is to discard altruism and view those people as nothing more than customers or even subhumans. If you're too emotionally invested, you become a sponge which absorbs all the negative energy from those damaged and trashy people... resulting in the inevitable burnout.

The same applies to doctors, nurses, teachers, counsellors etc. Be professional in your job, don't be personal.

 

[Cottonmouth]

Weak Mûd genes, maybe she can consider doing Grab delivery.

 

[borom]

She has no need to meet sales targets or make profts for the company and still suffer burnout?
Should just do office work like those useless people in admin, HR or accounts

 

[JohnTan]

‘I did not want to get out of bed’: Social workers face complex challenges, burnout​

SINGAPORE - After watching a movie about a social worker trying to save a young girl from her abusive parents, 14-year-old Siti Nur Diyanah Hardy vowed to become someone who would one day help children facing difficulties.

She made good on her promise. Ms Diyanah is today a child safety officer at the Rainbow Centre, a social service organisation she joined in 2021.

The 31-year-old was the first Malay student to graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with first class honours in social work in 2015.

Passion fuelled her when she started working upon graduation. Soon, the challenges of the work – round-the-clock interactions with those in need, and the difficult problems her clients faced – proved overwhelming.

Six months into her job, Ms Diyanah found herself experiencing burnout.

She said: “I woke up and I did not want to get out of bed. When I was home, I hardly spoke to my family and just stayed in my room as I felt very tired.

“I realised I was burned out when I was about to have a session with one of my clients and felt like I didn’t want to go, which had never happened before. I’m usually always happy to see them, so when I realised my heart was not in it, I knew it was a problem.”

She spoke to her supervisor about getting support and took a break before returning to work.

Her heart remains in social work and she said: “I feel very passionately and strongly about children and their right to be safe. That keeps me going.”

Tuesday is World Social Work Day, which recognises the achievements of social workers and seeks to raise the visibility of social services in society.

In a speech in 2022, President Halimah Yacob highlighted how social workers are at the heart of the community. With Singapore facing a rapidly ageing population and slowing social mobility, she said social workers will continue to play an important role to uplift individuals and families in need.

Ms Tan Sze Wee, president of the Singapore Association of Social Workers (SASW), told The Straits Times in an interview last week that burnout is a pressing issue.

She said: “We work with people. I think when you work with people, there’s a lot of giving of yourself. I would say that the aspects of our work and the nature of it then present us with a higher risk of burnout if we do not take care of ourselves.”

She noted that educating and preparing social workers for the roles they will play have been given greater priority because of the high risk of burnout.

“We really need to remind them that before you care for others, you have to care for yourselves first.”

https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...ocial-workers-face-complex-challenges-burnout

If this muud attended church more regularly, she wouldn't be facing burnout at work.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

The 31-year-old was the first Malay student to graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with first class honours in social work in 2015.

A first class honours in social work? Lol... Probably worse than an ITE grad with a technical skill.

 

[ODACHEK]

Did not want to get out of bed, so stay on bed and get fucked by PAP gov?

 

[gsbslut]

she should not waste her first class honours degree doing such jobs

 

[millim6868]

Life is strange, look at papigs paid themselves well but come to hosting donations they ask sinkies to donate generously, but they themselves don, n enjoy benefits n privileges , gathering wealth, wheresle sinkies all live day to day worrying abt jobs n expenses, n papigs told sinkies Don demand so much but they themselves paid themselves so much,one papigs even ask u 3 meals in hawker or restaurant, lol its a job for 60% sinkies

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

Life is strange, look at papigs paid themselves well but come to hosting donations they ask sinkies to donate generously, but they themselves don, n enjoy benefits n privileges , gathering wealth, wheresle sinkies all live day to day worrying abt jobs n expenses, n papigs told sinkies Don demand so much but they themselves paid themselves so much,one papigs even ask u 3 meals in hawker or restaurant, lol its a job for 60% sinkies

All along the idea of donating is to create some public goodwill. Do u think the majority of the PAP politicians actually make anonymous donations? Lol

 

[congo9]

Just be professional about it. Poor deserve help but not too much.

 

[Loofydralb]

No doubt idiot minah votes for PAP that also oppresses her religion.

 

[Cottonmouth]

If this muud attended church more regularly, she wouldn't be facing burnout at work.

She will become Suntan Ho.

 

[syed putra]

she should not waste her first class honours degree doing such jobs

She cannot speak mandarin. Its either deliveroo or social work or police/ immigration/ custom junior officers.

 

[syed putra]

No doubt idiot minah votes for PAP that also oppresses her religion.

Religion is holding malays back. Believing in God does not need a religion.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

While it’s an admirable job, it’s literally a shit job.

Day in day out, people throw their sob stories at you. And most of the time social workers can’t do much.

 

[syed putra]

While it’s an admirable job, it’s literally a shit job.

Day in day out, people throw their sob stories at you. And most of the time social workers can’t do much.

She should take advantage of the vulnerable,

 

[JohnTan]

No doubt idiot minah votes for PAP that also oppresses her religion.

To islamists like you, 'oppressing islam' simply means preventing moslems from oppressing non-moslems.

 

[Loofydralb]

To islamists like you, 'oppressing islam' simply means preventing moslems from oppressing non-moslems.

I give you this year's example of muis suppressing Islam:
Every ramadhan since I can remember, we Muslims have organised night prayers at the multi purpose halls. Last month MUIS announced this practice to be halted because their excuse is that mosques can cope with the numbers.
We Muslims go to the nearest congregation as it is convenient. Elderly will need to walk, take a bus or taxis to the mosque now.
Thank you MUIS. Now more of us will vote against PAP.

 

[JohnTan]

Every ramadhan since I can remember, we Muslims have organised night prayers at the multi purpose halls. Last month MUIS announced this practice to be halted because their excuse is that mosques can cope with the numbers.

Nothing wrong with moslems praying at their mosques. You should complain if there isn't enough room for people to pray.

We Muslims go to the nearest congregation as it is convenient. Elderly will need to walk, take a bus or taxis to the mosque now.

You seem to be complaining about moslems having to go to the mosques to pray. Shouldn't moslems have their own version of 'bearing their own cross' when they want to act pious before their god? Instead, you're demanding for conveniences like praying downstairs at the multi purpose halls instead of making that journey to the mosque. That's weird.

Thank you MUIS. Now more of us will vote against PAP.

It's a known fact that a larger proportion of muuds and kelings vote for PAP than for oppies. It's the PAP's 'fixed deposit' during elections. Who else will promise the muuds their very own 'minister of muud affairs'? There certainly isn't one for chinks, kelings or mongrel eurasians.