Moral distress in South African child protection social workers: A qualitative study

Abstract

Moral distress among South African child protection social workers (CPSWs) remains unexplored despite familiarity with the concept. A qualitative analysis of interviews with 20 CPSWs in two South African provinces interpreted their reports of workplace risk through a moral distress lens. Thematic analysis identified that internal and external constraints are contributing to experiences of moral distress among CPSWs in South Africa, paving the way for developing solutions to mitigate these causes. Policy-level changes, operational improvements for CPSWs, and guidance to help CPSWs create their own solutions, might follow because of the dissemination of our study findings.