Abstract
When I read the title of this book, I felt some unease, wondering whether this would be a publication which would promote self-efficacy and self-management as means of strengthening performance management with its potential for feeding blame culture. Far from it! This book presents a powerfully reasoned argument for reclaiming the integrity and status of social work with its beliefs and practices which should create authentic, wise and humanitarian professionalism. This is particularly welcome now when political and social understanding of the role of social work in society’s wellbeing is subject to ideological and organisational threat, especially, as the writers point out, in England. This book offers a timely welfare check for the profession’s standing and identity and resonates with Scotland’s ‘Changing Lives’ report (2006) which promoted the development of autonomous, professional social workers.
Godfred Boahen and Fran Wiles achieve their aim of demonstrating a clear link between theory, research and effective practice skills to support their explanation of what is meant by the term ‘professionalism’. At the beginning of the book, I found the overview of chapters extremely helpful, as it specifies each chapter’s location, summarising the content and making for easy and accessible referencing.
On reading the chapter which thoroughly explores what is meant by the term ‘professionalism’, I was struck by the tremendous scope of the change in social work over the past 50 years, including the times when many practitioners resisted the push towards professionalisation, fearing that it would lead to increased control of the workforce. Social work became increasingly politicised and to a great extent the fears of those resisters were realised. The authors point out that despite the opening up of social work to the constraints of managerialism, professionalisation has also offered some protection and equitable access for service users through regulation, occupational standards and identity. The tensions between political control and professional identity remain unsolved today and it may be questionable as to whether professionalisation has raised the status of social work in the UK at all? The debate about professionalism is extremely valuable for supporting educators to respond to the perennial question posed by students who ask ‘What does ‘professional’ mean?’
The fundamental message of this book is around the concept of self-management as a core component for professional functioning. This concept is thoroughly debated and emphasises the roles of emotional intelligence and critical thinking in actively countering managerialism, and make for safer and more ethical practice.
In furthering their arguments, the authors have drawn upon extensive research and practice models to offer excellent ideas for application of skills in self-management. This material is very specific and not only examines the skills required but also illustrates how to use those skills with relevant case examples and regular points to consider and reflect upon. Skill topics include communication, safeguarding, risk management and leadership. A powerful message from this book which, I believe should be heard by NQSWs and experienced practitioners (and managers) alike, is that dangerous practice feeds off dominant managerial procedure. The excellent chapter on safeguarding and risk management provides a thoughtful, critical analysis of the need for emotionally reflective practice in decision making and draws on extensive research and practice tools.
I struggled a bit with the chapter on leadership skills, finding its application to actual practice a little obscure, but the concluding extended case examples offer a useful balance by inviting reflection on the key themes presented in the book.
This book adds a further layer of analysis to the growing body of literature that endorses the specific skills and qualities required to deliver safe, sensitive and intelligent practice. It may be a rather daunting read for a student at beginning of practice but those with a foundation, and more, of experience will find this to be a thoughtful and rich resource for revitalising their practice.