ISMT Observatory identifies resource shortages and excessive bureaucracy in Social Work

2025-12-09

The study, conducted across three local health units in the Centre region, reveals that social workers face significant structural challenges, specifically a shortage of human and material resources, as well as an excessive bureaucratic burden that constrains social intervention.

The International Observatory on Working Conditions of Social Workers, from Instituto Superior Miguel Torga (ISMT), has presented the results of its first systematic diagnosis. The study, conducted across three local health units in the Centre region, reveals that social workers face significant structural challenges, specifically a shortage of human and material resources, as well as an excessive bureaucratic burden that constrains social intervention.

The research, developed by ISMT lecturers Sónia Ribeiro and Matilde Carvalho, was based on interviews with 21 professionals and highlights limitations regarding physical space, which often fails to ensure necessary professional confidentiality, and the use of obsolete IT equipment. According to lecturer Sónia Ribeiro, the "production of statistics" and the completion of platform data create a "daily burden" that distances professionals from their primary function: defending social rights and providing humanised care to users.

The diagnosis also points to time pressure stemming from a management culture focused on productivity metrics and the speed of hospital discharges. Despite the workload and the demand for speed in complex social situations, professionals maintain their ethical commitment, albeit at a high personal cost. The Observatory has announced that this study will be replicated in Brazil, France, and Spain, with a national study on stress and job satisfaction among these professionals also planned.