The relevance of practice development for professionalisation of social work

ABSTRACT

This article explores the relevance of Practice Development (PD), as developed in nursing, for fostering practice improvement and the external recognition of social work. The findings of a Delphi study among 17 social work experts reveal that PD in social work is framed as a collective endeavour embedded in a professional learning community of social workers aimed at systematically developing their practice with regard to shared recurring complex social problems. The experts reached consensus on the core components that constitute PD in the context of social work: Cooperation with a diversity of stakeholders; Linking, including the integration of multiple perspectives and adjustment to the context; Evidence Based Practice. With regard to the organisation of PD, experts agree on the importance of the practice developer role but disagree on the mandate for PD, allocation of the pd-role and competences for this role. The emphasis on collective sense making and on organisational and outside realities implies that PD in social work is consistent with the notion of connective professionalism. However, the framing of PD as a meta-activity for which only social workers share responsibility, raises also questions about its role in moving social work towards more connective forms of professionalism.

SAMENVATTING

Dit artikel verkent de relevantie van Practice Development (PD), zoals ontwikkeld in de verpleegkunde, voor praktijkontwikkeling en het versterken van de positie van het sociaal werk. De resultaten van een Delphi studie met 17 experts in het sociaal werk laten zien dat PD in het sociaal werk beschouwd wordt als een gemeenschappelijke inspanning ingebed in een professionele leergemeenschap van sociaal werkers, gericht op het systematisch ontwikkelen van hun praktijk in relatie tot terugkerende, gedeelde en complexe sociale problemen. De experts bereikten consensus over de kernelementen van PD in de context van het sociaal werk. Samenwerken met een diversiteit aan stakeholders; Verbinden, inclusief de integratie van meervoudige perspectieven en afstemming op de context; Evidence Based Practice. Wat betreft de organisatie van PD, zijn de experts het eens over het belang van de rol van praktijkontwikkelaar, maar oneens over het mandaat voor PD, de toewijzing van deze rol en de benodigde competenties voor deze rol. De nadruk op collectieve betekenisgeving en de focus op de organisatiecontext en externe omgeving impliceert dat PD past bij de notie van connectieve professionaliteit. Maar het beschouwen van PD als een meta-activiteit waarvoor alleen sociaal werkers verantwoordelijk zijn, roept tevens vragen op over de bijdrage van PD aan het bevorderen van connectieve professionaliteit.

KEYWORDS:

• Master's programme in social work
• social work education
• improvement of practice
• connective professionalism
• Delphi study

KERNWOORDEN:

• masteropleidingen sociaal werk
• sociaal werk onderwijs
• praktijkverbetering
• connectieve professionaliteit
• Delphi studie

Acknowledgements

This study was approved and financed by the HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, by giving the first author a PhD scholarship. We thank Dr. Marion van Hattum for her participation in the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mariël van Pelt

Mariël van Pelt is a senior lecturer in the Master of Social Work programme at HAN University of Applied Sciences, Nijmegen the Netherlands, senior advisor at MOVISIE, a national knowledge centre on social issues, and a PhD student at Radboud University, Nijmegen the Netherlands. Her research project focuses on the question what the Master's programme in social work contributes to the professionalisation of Dutch social workers.

Giel Hutschemaekers

Prof. Dr Giel J.M. Hutschemaekers holds a chair in mental health care at Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is also senior researcher at Pro Persona, a large regional mental health organisation. Since the 1990's he has done several research projects and written publications about professions and professionalisation in mental health care.

Peter Sleegers

Dr Peter J. C. Sleegers is a senior researcher and consultant at BMC Consultancy in the Netherlands. His research and writing concerns leadership, school organisation, school improvement and educational change. Among his research projects are studies into the effects of educational leadership on teacher and student learning and longitudinal research into sustainable school improvement.

Rudi Roose

Prof. Dr Rudi Roose is associate professor of social work in the Department of Social Work and Social Pedagogy at Ghent University. He is also Editor in Chief (together with Jochen Devlieghere) of the European Journal of Social Work and chair of The International Social Work and Society Academy (Tissa). His research interest focuses on the development of socially just practices in managerial times and the development of ambiguous social work.