Session that explores current research projects around professional identity and a project currently underway for the Scottish Social Services Council on newly qualified social workers. How do we develop and strengthen the identity of social workers in Scotland? This exploration, important in the light of health and social care integration, would benefit from the contributions of a wide range of participants as well as benefitting social work students, practitioners and managers. Contributed by: Glasgow Caledonian University

1. Scott Grant
Dr Martin Kettle
Session E8
Social Services Expo March 18th 2014
Workshop on Professional Identity

2. Professional Identity
“There is an urgent need for social work to
clarify its professional identity” (Changing
Lives)
“Not easily put into a box” (Wiles, 2013)
Are we talking about the identity of the
profession or of the professional ?

3. Outline
• Introductions (5 minutes)
• Small group discussion (20 minutes)
• Feedback (10 minutes)
• Key findings from Doctoral research
(Martin) (5 minutes)
• Emergent findings from NQSW research
(Scott) (5 minutes)

4. Questions for discussion
• What are the key components of
professional identity for you?
• What are the factors that helped and
hindered your development of professional
identity?

5. A Balancing Act
• Prof D Doctoral
Research
• Grounded Theory
study of child
protection social work

6. Children
Power together
Relationship
Parents
Distance
Future
Inter-professional transactions
Power over
Investigation
Closeness
Past
Tipping point

7. “A: I suppose that it is a bit like walking along a tight
rope, sometimes you are a bit wobbly, at other times
you are feeling that little bit more secure ……..you
are trying to do the best that you can do, and you really
want to make sure that you are protecting children, and
that you want to make sure that you are doing the right
thing, and I think the hard part is where you are feeling
that you are not able to do that. ………Yeah, it does
feel that you are going to teeter off the edge”
M: “I suppose that the only way to be a good tight rope
walker is to…..”
A: “Have really good balance”
(Interview 8).
In a nutshell......

8. • Partnership between GCU + CELCIS – funded by SSSC.
• Aim: explore perspectives of NQSWs related to their
preparedness to enter professional social work practice,
and their experiences of post-qualifying support and learning.
• Why? SSSC are currently reviewing the social work degree
and forming new learning strategy for Scotland.
• Last study of this kind in Scotland by Peter Marsh & John
Triseliotis in 1996.
NQSW Study in Scotland

9. What are we exploring?
• Levels of perceived confidence
• Levels of perceived resilience
• Levels of perceived competence
• Do NQSWs have the necessary skills to manage complex caseloads?
• Are NQSWs adequately supported by agencies and first-line managers?
• Are NQSWs getting enough opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and
practice?

10. Study Design
• Mixed methods
Stage 1:
• Online questionnaire distributed to 572 NQSWs in Scotland
(17 ‘undeliverable’) – so 555 total (Feb – March, 2014).
Stage 2:
• Focus groups: Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perth (March
2014).

11. University Experience
• 80% felt that university prepared NQSWs for ‘reality of
practice’
• 86% felt prepared for complex decision-making.
• 80% felt that university prepared NQSW’s to be resilient
practitioners.
• 70% felt prepared to do assessments and write reports.
• 87% felt prepared to deliver ‘outcome-based’ services.
• 68% felt that university prepared them to understand the
‘integration agenda’.
• 82% felt prepared as ‘research-minded’ practitioners.
• 94.2% felt prepared for dealing with ethical / value dilemmas.

12. Employment Experience
• Only 40% say that workload is protected.
• Most give 6-12 months as period of protection.
• Shadowing and learning from other social workers emerges more strongly
than support from managers.
• Experiences of training and development are mixed – no consistency.
• Majority of NQSW’s feel confident or very confident across all National
Occupational Standards for Social Work.
• 66% felt induction was either satisfactory (33.6%), not very good (20.1%)
or poor (11.9%).
• Half would rate formal supervision between satisfactory and poor.
• Majority (55%) have satisfactory, not very good or poor opportunities to
reflect on practice during formal supervision (most say discussions are on
caseload management and allocation).

13. Some comments from NQSW’s on formal supervision:
‘More focus on my learning and understanding as a NQSW, due to my
presentation as a capable and competent worker, there can be an
assumption that I have the relevant experience/skills/knowledge.’
‘An opportunity for reflection would be beneficial but it is not a safe
environment to do so. There is a fear of being belittled if I express my views
and I do not feel that my discussions are confidential. There are also too
many interruptions from the telephone and senior responding to emails
and eating.’
‘I would like for supervision to be less focused on 'ticking boxes' and more
about giving me the time to reflect on the work I have and am doing.’
‘for it to happen’

14. Follow up
martin.kettle2@gcu.ac.uk
@MartinK55
scott.grant@gcu.ac.uk
@scottleegrant