Jonathan Parker and Mark Doel (eds),Professional social work

Reviewed by: Patricia Wood, Former Freelance Social Care Staff Development Consultant and Practice Educator/Assessor, England

The first chapter of Professional Social Work is written by the editors who state that not only do “contemporary social workers practise in a fraught context” where they “apply balm to social and individual troubles, challenge disadvantageous social structures and practices, while, somewhat paradoxically, also being an integral part of those social structures by virtue of being (predominately) employed by local government” (p. 3). The book is intended for students on initial qualifying courses and those studying at Masters level in the United Kingdom, and there is a helpful list of contributors at the beginning of the book, most of whom will be familiar to those involved in social work education, qualified social workers and students on qualifying programmes.

Overall, the chapters are accessibly written and cover topics as varied as practising reflexivity, talking about relationships, ethical tensions in social work, practice-focused research, regulation in social work education, and working with the media. However, certain chapters are bound to appeal to some readers more than others. For example, Gurnam Singh and Stephen Cowden’s chapter that “asks whether radical possibilities are still meaningful within professional social work in an age of neo-liberalism and austerity” (p. 81) is most likely to attract those who are interested in the political context. And while I enjoyed reading Neil Thompson’s chapter introducing and exploring the concept of emotional competence (rather than emotional intelligence) as a means of referring “to the emotional aspects of social work practice” (p. 72); it was difficult to visualise how such competencies could be assessed, “built on and, where absent … built up” (p. 75) in educational programmes or during agency based supervision sessions.

Reading and reviewing Professional Social Work reminded me of past issues that continue to interest and/or concern me. One of which is the difficulty many students and qualified workers experience when asked to define the profession, although this is probably because “when we pose the question ‘What is social work?’ we expose ourselves to multiple interpretations and associated queries” (p. 2). Especially as most social workers now describe themselves as “doing assessments” – terminology that could “hardly be described as a professional model” (p. 10), despite most having entered the profession with “a deep-seated desire to ‘help people’” and to “make a difference” (p. 57).

However, explanations for this definition dilemma could be related to the dilution and disappearance of methods of working as a means of explaining roles, responsibilities, and areas of expertise; and/or “concerns that social work is breaking into many different sub-professions (childcare workers; mental health workers) in which social work does not even appear in the job title” (p. 10).

The final chapter of the book considers the future of social work, and while Jonathan Parker and Mark Doel conclude that “ultimately, professionalism is about identity” (p. 211), they also argue that in order to achieve professional identity social workers will have to decide whether or not they “want to be reorganised as a profession” (p. 211). The editors then go on to question whether or not social workers “have the confidence to mould the profession in their own image, the savvy to convince others that it is a profession and the power to realise their vision?” (pp. 211–212). These questions may be perceived by some as challenges to be overcome. However, unfortunately, I cannot help but feel somewhat pessimistic about the future of social work given that “change is ultimately driven by political ideology rather than a professional need or empirical evidence, which for the profession of social work is its major weakness” (pp. 188–189).