Dear social worker, I see you

Dear social worker, I see you
For all the hours you work at night
The moments when darkness wins over light
Little moments of joy and moments of pain
The exhaustion you feel with the news of more blame
Dear social worker, I see you

Dear social worker, I see you
For all the tears that haven’t been shed
The moments of worry sat in your head
Lunch at your desk and dinners gone cold
To-do lists in tatters when crisis unfolds
Dear social worker, I see you

Dear social worker, I see you
For choices made standing up for rights
Protecting those who cannot fight
All the parts that you love and the parts you hate
I see you each day in your invisible cape
Dear social worker, I see you

I wrote the poem above to celebrate all of the amazing social workers out there for World Social Work Day 2024.

Social work week always has me reflecting on my journey in social work. I’ve been thinking about my experience of leadership recently. I always made a conscious effort to show social workers that I saw them; that I noticed the times they went above and beyond, I saw the hours they worked in order to provide the best for children, and I often sat with them both in moments of joy, but also their moments of sadness or worry.

Someone asked me recently why I introduce myself as a social worker instead of my title of assistant director and I shared, ‘because at the heart of it, that’s what I am….a social worker.’ And I’m proud to call myself that.

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