Self-Care Practice and Retention: Narratives of Social Workers in 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.