Social Work Practice during the COVID-19 State of Emergency in Spain

Spain was very hard hit by the pandemic and was also one of the first to implement the strictest confinement measures. Social services are a key sector for alleviating the social impacts on citizens. We conducted an online survey to investigate the work that has been done by social workers employed by the Community of Madrid and the Madrid City Council. Respondents felt stressed and bewildered by the lack of coordination between the different public administrations responsible for the care and health issues caused by COVID-19. They have had to manage support and assistance related to food and hygiene, to provide emotional help, to access information on the pandemic to pass on to users, and to allocate the financial aids provided by the administration. Teleworking became the main working method, coordinating and interacting with users online as a consequence of mobility restrictions and social distancing.Peer reviewe