An opinion: social workers serve vulnerable populations in various digital ways under the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

IntroductionEveryone's life has been impacted by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, either directly through exposure to the virus or indirectly by measures taken to mitigate its spread.A social worker is a professional who works to improve the overall wellbeing of the general population, with a priority on the vulnerable, oppressed, and the poor, assisting in meeting the basic and complex needs of communities or individuals (1).The pandemic has highlighted the possibilities, benefits and challenges in the digital services provided by social workers on a global scale.COVID-19 challenged the limitations of social workers' abilities in various fields as they provided essential services within uncertain and high-risk work conditions.In the early stages of the pandemic, the lack of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for those working on the front lines was one of the significant problems in some countries.Social workers may have come into contact with people carrying the coronavirus or contaminated surfaces/objects while assisting health professionals or visiting clients.Some social workers and social care workers have contracted the virus, or even died, from the COVID-19 pandemic.Those who benefited from their care have expressed their grief in various ways, although traditional media rarely reported their stories (2).In response to the pandemic, they were expected to comply with government prohibitions, subsequent safety measures, and maintain social distancing during the lockdown.They often worked remotely from home and used online services to protect children, older adults, and others in "at-risk" groups within difficult conditions mediated by digital technology.They were required to adopt videoconferencing or phone calls, to ensure continued engagement with service users where face-to-face contact was restricted (3).This review article highlights services social workers provided to under-served populations in society by various digital ways, not limited to children and older adults, but also the poor, disabled, homeless, and others.Digital technologies bring new trends to current and future social work intervention, research and training.Due to space and word limitations of the "opinion type" article, this short review focuses mainly on two groups as examples: children and older adults.

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