Multifaceted personas in context: mental health social worker perspectives on the intersection of mental health, social work and professional identity in England and Wales
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Mental health provision in England and Wales has fluctuated between promoting social work as a valued, distinct contributor and viewing it as an adjunct to a generic workforce. Perspectives are divided on whether the profession should emphasise social work, mental health work or a cross-disciplinary blend, and definitional attempts have proved challenging, with wide variation in practice. This article explores how mental health social workers view their professional identity across practice contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach, 248 mental health social workers completed an online survey, and 30 undertook a subsequent semi-structured interview. Survey data were statistically analysed using Kruskal–Wallis H-tests to explore differences across settings. Qualitative interview data were analysed using a framework thematic approach. Participants demonstrated a strong but flexible professional identity, adopting a multifaceted, fluid sense of self that prioritised the aspect of identity most relevant to the context. Contrary to narratives of poor articulation, this was framed within a specialist knowledge- and values-based perspective that influenced practice approaches and accommodated context without requiring external validation. This fluidity suggests a need to move away from restrictive task-based definitions of social work in order to actively engage the workforce in developing professional roles that embrace this flexibility to offer holistic services.
Source: European Social Work Research
Authors: Laura Tucker, Hannah Jobling, Martin Webber
Institution: University of York
Language: English
Subfield: Public Administration
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4401630914