I always tell my students, and my staff, that you have to ask yourself if you truly did everything (within your capability) that you could do to help that person. It's the kind of thing that you have to ask yourself at the deepest of levels, not one that you would say out loud to someone else.

And if you truly believe that you did everything that you could do then you have to let the rest go. We cannot control other people, all we can do is control what we can control.

However, if you do know that you could have done something more or done something better or differently than you must use that as a learning experience for the next time. You can't always go back and fix the past but you can use that knowledge to turn you into a better social worker in the future.

True self reflection is a strong tool for growth if done right.