Professional care in social intervention contexts: an organisational approach

Abstract

Professions linked to social intervention are subject to strong pressure that causes high levels of stress and professional burnout; therefore, the care of professionals becomes a strategic area of management. Organisational culture has been studied as an intensifier of this professional stress and has been scarcely addressed as a palliative element. The aim of this article is to analyse how the organisational culture of the institutions where social intervention professionals work can contribute to professional care. The research focuses on an exploratory case study in Andalusia where, through fieldwork in 14 community social services centres, 80 in-depth interviews were conducted with professionals working in these centres (social workers, psychologists, and social educators).  Based on these interviews, it was possible to identify organisational strategies that contribute to professional care: leadership, collective construction or professional autonomy. The results show the importance of the organisational culture of care which, combined with the classic self-care approach, can facilitate professional performance in the field of social intervention and, therefore, improve citizen care.