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How we’re tackling harassment of social care staff

We catch up with Megan James, Organisational Development Project Manager at East Sussex County Council, on the Workforce Strategy and how their recent project is helping tackle harassment of social care staff.

The launch of the ‘Workforce Strategy for Adult Social Care’ is an exciting leap forward for the social care sector, and I am incredibly happy to see it come to fruition. This Strategy is a testament to the collective commitment of all those who supported it to improving the working lives of social care staff, ensuring they feel valued, supported, and equipped to deliver the highest standard of care.

The Workforce Strategy's focus on wellbeing and creating a positive working environment is not just timely but essential, particularly as we navigate the ongoing challenges in the sector. I was delighted to see East Sussex County Council’s project on tackling harassment against social care staff being featured as a 'spotlight' project within the Strategy. It's gratifying to know that our efforts are being recognised and that our work can serve as a model for others across the sector. This recognition underscores the importance of addressing harassment and abuse as critical issues that impact the wellbeing of individual staff members, and the overall quality of care and the sustainability of our workforce.

As the Strategy rightfully points out, social care struggles with recruiting and retaining people. Staff wellbeing is crucial to retention because it directly impacts job satisfaction, engagement, professional relationships, quality of service delivery and overall morale. When employees feel supported and valued, especially in challenging and demanding roles like social care, they are more likely to remain in their jobs. Supporting staff and combatting instances of abuse and harassment is an essential part of this.

Our project began from a concern for the wellbeing of social care staff as we were increasingly receiving anecdotal reports of discrimination and harassment. We recognised this in our struggle to commission services and packages of care being ‘handed back’ to us as staff were facing abuse. This was not just a problem for the individuals directly affected but a systemic issue that could lead to burnout, decreased staff wellbeing, decline in job satisfaction, high staff turnover and a decline in the quality of care provided to members of our community.

We wanted to gain a clear picture of the experiences of social care workers, the types of harassment and abuse they face, and the impact on their mental health and job satisfaction. We began by performing a thorough review of the current literature and evidence around harassment and violence against care staff.

To gain insight into the experience of our staff, we then conducted extensive research with the workforce: we delivered 15 focus groups, performed interviews across the organisation and sent out staff surveys, which received 300 responses. The findings confirmed our beliefs that not only was harassment more embedded and accepted than many had realised, but the support structures in place were often outdated and failed to address the needs of affected staff. This data and feedback, combined with extensive research, helped us generate a series of recommendations to change how harassment is recorded and addressed.

The range of recommendations were aimed at both prevention and support, including enhanced training for staff on conflict resolution and escalation, suggestions to improve reporting mechanisms, advice around improved support system and suggestions of staff access to counselling and debriefing sessions. We also created a catalogue deal of advisory resources and information that were shared with managers and staff.

We understand that recommendations made by the project have the potential to positively impact the quality of care delivered. When these issues are neglected, it’s not just a case of one person coming into work and feeling rubbish because something's happened to them, but a huge number of relationships and experiences that are damaged. This project has enabled our staff to have better relationships with those they support, which in turn makes the care they deliver better.

My hope for the future of the Strategy is that we can see more projects like this begin, but with increased collaboration across organisations, leading to projects on a much greater scale. Together, we can create a social care environment that is safe, supportive, and empowering for all who work in it, ultimately leading to a better quality of life for those we care for.

Be sure to check out our campaign hub for more information on the Workforce Strategy, or take a look at our wellbeing page for more handy tips.

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