Huake Foundation Partners with Kaohsiung City Social Bureau to Support Frontline Social Workers, Building a Holistic Support Network to Enhance Service Resilience

Frontline social workers face high-risk families and vulnerable cases over extended periods, enduring significant work and psychological stress. To enhance their mental and physical well-being and professional resilience, the Huake Foundation has partnered with the Kaohsiung City Government Social Bureau since 2022 to continuously implement the 'Central District Team Social Workers, Huake Supports Social Workers' program. Through diverse initiatives such as psychological counseling, drama therapy, professional capacity-building, massage relaxation, and community walking tours, the program establishes a comprehensive support system, putting into practice the philosophy of 'protecting the helpers.'

The Huake Foundation's services cover social welfare centers in Cianjhen, Yancheng, Lingya, Siaogang, and Cijin districts. In 2025, it provided 84 individual counseling sessions to 20 social workers. Using diverse methods such as numerology, Nine-Seal Relaxation, and card exploration, the program guides social workers to sort through emotions and accept themselves, enhancing their psychological resilience and self-recovery abilities when facing work challenges.

In addition to psychological support, the foundation has invited experts to conduct 'social resilience-oriented' drama therapy workshops. Through physical warm-ups, metaphorical projection, and theatrical interaction, these workshops help social workers release long-accumulated stress. With team-based companionship and mutual support, participants can rediscover their original motivation and strength as helpers.

Considering that social workers often experience physical fatigue from frequent home visits and long office hours, the Huake Foundation has brought professional massage services directly into social welfare centers. It has also organized cross-county community mini-trips, cultural appreciation events, pastel art, and alcohol ink fluid painting activities to help social workers recharge during their busy schedules, thereby increasing their well-being and reducing professional burnout.

For professional growth, the foundation has designed a series of capacity-building courses on debt analysis, fraud prevention, diverse career paths, and self-exploration, helping social workers broaden their professional perspectives and enhance their ability to serve in the face of diverse social issues.

Participating social workers have shared that psychological counseling helped them reorganize their emotions and thoughts and better understand how to relate to themselves. Regular stress-relief activities have given their minds and bodies a chance to rest, allowing them to continue supporting families and individuals in need with renewed energy.

Kaohsiung City Social Bureau Director Tsai Wan-fen stated, 'The city’s 18 social welfare service centers shoulder frontline service responsibilities, and social workers are a crucial pillar of the social safety net. We thank the Huake Foundation for its long-term investment of resources and comprehensive support measures for frontline social workers. This enables helping professionals to serve citizens in a healthier and more stable state, continuously improving the quality of social welfare services. We will continue to collaborate with private-sector resources to jointly build a more robust social welfare support system.'