Emotional labour in child and family social work teams: A hybrid ethnography

Achieving good outcomes for children and families engaged in the social care system relies upon a healthy, confident, and stable workforce. However, child protection social work has been identified as an emotionally demanding area of practice, linked to staff burnout and poor retention. This article draws on a hybrid ethnography of two child and family social work teams in England during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings identify the team as a vital source of support for social workers. Paradoxically, the team also identified a place of emotional insecurity where team members must perform emotions in a way that is compatible with their professional role. Through the trifocal lens of emotional labour and the dramaturgical metaphor of Setting, Roles, and Scripts, a novel conceptual framework of team support is presented.