Former Volunteer Now Full-Time Staff for Five Years

Social Work Executive Ms Jaspreet Kaur, 39, has been an integral part of the SIWEC team since she joined as a full-time staff in 2015. Incidentally, she had been an active volunteer with SIWEC since 2009, helping out as a healthcare ambassador.

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In her present role, Jaspreet counsels and visits four minors (school-going children and teenagers) living in boys/girls’ homes, besides case-managing 30 client- families who receive financial assistance (FA) under SIWEC’s FA and Food on the Table programme.

Jaspreet interviews, assesses, secures approval, and then arranges the required assistance to help families in need of financial, food, informational and socio-emotional support.

Jaspreet chose to transition to social work after working as a palliative care nurse for seven years. Her nature of work, then, often involved difficult and intense counselling sessions with her former patients. She recalls feeling a deep sense of fulfilment in accompanying her patients on their end-of-life journeys.

Jaspreet was driven by passion to work directly with client-families and provide holistic help to those facing difficulties. She reflected, “I do face multiple challenges in my chosen role, but every encounter with families that I work with doubles my resolve to do my best, and this is what keeps me going.”

I work with doubles my resolve to do my best, and this is what keeps me going.”

For the more complex cases, Jaspreet coordinates with different agencies like the social support office network, schools and childrens’ homes, as well as healthcare agencies to extend holistic support. This includes dispensing healthcare advice, and coordinating education and financial support for families.

Jaspreet also confessed, “Verbal abuse on the phone or during client home visits comes along with the work. Over time, all social workers learn to develop a coping mechanism to be empathetic and resilient on the job.”

Jaspreet gains utmost satisfaction in devoting time to help her clients. Seeing her clients overcome their dilemmas, she has learnt from them to cultivate a positive attitude in overcoming her personal challenges. She notes that this line of work has strengthened her as an individual.

During her service with SIWEC, she has managed cases which still tug at the strings of her heart whether it was abandoned elderly parents, or teenagers with no adult relative to turn to for support or guidance.

Jaspreet recalled an experienced senior offering advice early in her career, “He said, ‘be real, be yourself and let your personality and attributes shine through.’ After I did that, I learnt that I could grow in confidence and found a self-belief in my abilities. As I developed in my career, this self-belief in my skills, knowledge and attributes is a must. We must also have high aspirations for our service users.

For some, we may be the only people they encounter that have high aspirations for them. I have gotten to devote my life’s work to justice, education, and human well-being. Social work is creative, evocative, challenging, purposeful work. I have never been bored. I love the flexibility of the profession as so many paths are possible.

I have been exposed to learning about various aspects, including mental health, working with the homeless, child-welfare and teaching. Often, I feel like I am helping to improve my clients’ conditions a little, through my experience gained every day.”
Bereavement

Jaspreet’s scope of work at SIWEC also involves supporting bereaved families when a loved one has passed on.

She observed, “Everyone processes death in a different way. Knowing this means that you do not have to second guess your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. This is your personal journey, and you can feel, think, say, or do whatever it is that you feel you need, in order to help you grieve and heal.”

“When I am with a bereaved family, most are in shock, overcome with emotions, and unprepared to deal with the situation. There were even times when family members would collapse during the bathing process. I would stop what I was doing to attend to the emotional family members first. Some of them tend to talk abruptly to us, but we must bear with it when such things happen. I have never taken it personally and always reminded myself that bereaved people are going through a very difficult time, and they need support more than anything else at that point of time.”

Testimony

A grieving family member wrote to SIWEC to commend Jaspreet:
“Ms Jaspreet Kaur helped and assisted tremendously in leading the ladies in the bathing of the dearly departed. Her calm demeanour in explaining, guiding, and leading the ladies present for the bathing of the dearly departed put the ladies at ease, as Ms Jaspreet led with utmost respect to our beloved mother. Ms Jaspreet’s humbleness, sense of Sewa, and purpose were evident, and the family appreciates it greatly.”