It’s not stressful if you have a rationale for your social work
PSW magazine - 18 April 2019
After nearly half a century, Zac McBreen isn’t ready to give up social work. He finds it too interesting.
The 67-year-old was acknowledged for lifetime achievement at BASW Cymru’s Social Work Awards 2019.
“When they first asked me to be nominated, I said ‘what for?’. I haven’t done anything over and above. I have generally enjoyed what I have done and I have done what I wanted to do. There was no hardship there.”
Zac’s long career started within a generic social work team in the early 1970s. It progressed into mental health social work and 20 years doing emergency duty work. In latter years he has supported hundreds of students as a practice educator and assessor, a role he still does independently.
In a profession where we often hear about the pressures of work, Zac appears to be remarkably unaffected.
“I have never been cynical. I have been cynical about management sometimes and some of our politicians and leaders.
“But I have not been about the actual role. It is endlessly fascinating and interesting. I can’t imagine doing another career.”
Perhaps even more remarkably, he says he’s hardly ever felt stressed, something he puts down to having a clear “rationale” behind his work.
“A lot of people talk about how stressful social work is. If you have a rationale for what you are doing and understand it and own it, it is less stressful than it would be if you are just following orders.
“You have to be very clear with managers and very honest with them. I have always been able to give a rationale for what I’m doing.
“If you’re asked to do something which you professionally disagree with, you should have a rationale for not doing it. I am quite good at persuading people. It should be a win-win exchange, not confrontational. It’s a ‘yes, and...’ rather than ‘no, but…’ exchange when challenging. I found people generally accepting of that.”
The rationale driving Zac’s career has been ensuring everything he does is about empowerment.
“If you are not empowering and enabling people what the hell are you even doing here?” he says.
“I work with first year students and try to get them to understand what it is about. I say forget all the formal stuff - what you are really doing is sticking with people through difficult times in their lives.
“In my early career when I worked in mental health it was talking people through difficult times and developing that knowledge of working relationships. It is a two-way thing – you get exchanges which are hopefully meaningful.”
Social work has been a vocation rather than a job. Zac says he’s never been interested in going into management and enjoys the job – both the practice and academic side - too much to retire.
“I keep up-to-date with research - that educational exchange and the pedagogy,” he says.
As a practice educator, he urges students to recognise that social work is more of a vocation and way of life than a job. “I hopefully influence them to see it as not just about following orders. You need a professional approach where you have an informed rationale for what you do and own it.
“Then you will have agency and find your work more fulfilling. That I think fits better with what brings people into the profession in the first place. Processes, management and events can interfere with that way of thinking, but I encourage them to retain that attitude. If you think you are just following orders and doing a job you shouldn’t be here.”
Zac is modest about the difference he has made in his 46-year career.
“I don’t see myself as having helped but not having hindered,” he says.
“I have enabled people to get through processes they don’t understand. I stopped them being disadvantaged by these difficult processes.
“Most people with the right input help themselves. You are sticking with them, but they have to do the work. I may be helping them identify what that is. But I don’t have to do the work."
He adds: “You have to realise it is about empowerment and enabling, not about ticking boxes.”
Winner of the practice teacher award John Davies was described as someone who helped people believe in themselves.
A deprivation of liberty safeguards co-ordinator for Conwy Borough Council, judges described him as someone who “always goes the extra mile for his students”.
A colleague nominating said John was a “caring person who takes his role seriously”.
They said: “John provides support not only with the practical issues that arise during placement but also during times when you question your own actions or feeling generally unconfident in practice… He made me believe in myself and I new that I was listened to.”
And the other winners were...
Picking up the innovative social work award was Amy Slater from the family support team, flying start in Pembrokshire.
Amy’s work involves supporting some 60 families holistically in the community using strength-based, solution-focused early intervention and preventative approaches.
Colleagues praised her “intrinsic ability to help families strength their own informal networks” and her “sensitive and caring approach”. One said an Amy should be “available in every community team in the country”.
The social work team of the year was the adult disability services in Monmouthshire for using person-centred approaches to support young people with learning disabilities to live independently.
The team partnered with Monmouthshire Housing Association to provide new one bedroom apartments. They worked to help the social landlord overcome concerns about the need to have support staff on-site by dispelling myths and promoting the strength and capabilities of the tenants.
One user of the service said: “I can’t believe this has happened to me, I have my own flat with a front door. I am proud that I can now be independent.”
Another said: “It is a start of a new life for me, I never expected to be living independently but I love it.”
Winner of the spirit of social work award was Nick Andrews.
This article is published by Professional Social work magazine which provides a platform for a range of perspectives across the social work sector. It does not necessarily reflect the views of the British Association of Social Workers.