**5. Discussion**

Edmond and Price [44] posit that the definition of professionalism has a particular emphasis on the key aspects of a profession including status, pay, expertise, standards, values and ethics. In this study, it was interesting to note that both groups of respondents—undergraduate and postgraduate—identified similar themes in relation to their perceptions of the types of professional they aspire to be:


Moreover, the respondents are at different stages of their professional journey. Group one (undergraduate) completed the survey three weeks prior to finding out where they will be placed for their first practice learning opportunity (85 days). The statutory sector currently provides approximately 85% of social work placements in Northern Ireland with NGOs offering the remainder. Group two (postgraduate) completed the survey during their taught course prior to being allocated a student when placement commenced in January 2019. Group two were at the beginning of a new role as 'gatekeeper to the profession', assessing the competence of their allocated student. The role of the practice teacher is complex. They are responsible for helping students to become professional practitioners and to develop the knowledge, skills and values, associated with their professional role and identity [45]. For group two, there is a further challenge as they occupy the dual role of learner and educator and an increased sense of accountability and responsibility about their decision making and assessment. They are also being assessed on their competence to 'pass', to qualify as a practice teacher/practice educator at master's level.

Both groups of respondents (undergraduate and postgraduate) identified the same top three core parameters of perceived importance in professionalism.


In this study, these were the attributes that were ranked as the most important and offered an insight into the respondents' perceptions of the qualities a social work professional should possess. Dillenburger et al. [46] define professional competence as the ability to do something well. Social work students on placement are assessed against a range of social work standards to evidence their competence in direct practice and at the point of graduation, there is an assumption that students are fit to practise. Northern Ireland was the first region in the UK to introduce an additional measure to support Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs), the Assessed Year in Employment (AYE), which recognises the importance of continued formal observation and evidence of knowledge consolidation. It is a similar picture in England with the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), Wales requires NQSWs to complete the Compulsory Consolidation Programme and Scotland is currently developing a probationary year for NQSWs following the Review of Social Work Education [47].

This resonates with the rationale for the continuum of lifelong learning expected of social work professionals. In Northern Ireland, the Professionals in Practice framework is governed by NISCC and requires commitment from registrants to complete continued professional development (CPD) to maintain their registration as social workers. The rationale is to build practitioner expertise and enhance public trust from those who access services. This requirement to improve, enhance and develop specialist and leadership skills is also linked to promotion, career progression and financial incentives, e.g., on completion of their Assessed Year in Employment, social work graduates who are employed by the state move from a Band 5 to Band 6 salary.

The Francis Report [48] (p. 1442) defines candour as ''the volunteering of all relevant information to persons who have or may have been harmed by the provision of services whether or not the information has been requested or whether or not a complaint about that provision has been made". In relation to health and social care and particularly, social workers, this is at different stages across the UK. Despite the recommendations of the Francis Report, duty of candour was not introduced in England owing to the 'ethical duty' of honesty within professional regulatory standards. In Scotland, the governmen<sup>t</sup> introduced duty of candour legislation in 2016 within the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc., and Care) (Scotland) Act. In Wales, following consultation, indications are that the statutory duty of candour will be for healthcare providers instead of individual staff. The Donaldson Report [49] in Northern Ireland favoured a duty of candour on organisations. Donaldson's rationale for this was the view that legislation which brought the threat of criminal convictions/sanctions would contribute to a culture of fear instead of openness and transparency.

As a profession, social work has often had to work to justify its inclusion alongside other professions, e.g., medical. The primary reason for this is the 'generalist approach' used within social work whereby practitioners will move across and between methods and models of interventions often reaching for feedback or input from service users, carers and survivors. This impacts on social work's ability to measure its effectiveness and has led to an increased drive to deliver on metrics and outcomes

and evidence-informed practice to justify the specialist knowledge and professional status of the role. Measurement is a core neo liberal priority. There is growing dissonance between the self-identity of social workers as agents of critical change and their actual role in the technical delivery of neo liberal policies, a sentiment echoed by Garret [50,51].

In this study, both sets of respondents (undergraduate and postgraduate) identified appearance as an important parameter of professionalism. Compared to the more substantial characteristics of reliability, accountability and professional ethics this, at first, seems more superficial. Is this linked to perceptions of professional identity? Or messages from practice? Or the wider influence of a society powered by Instagram and social media? Duncan-Daston et al., in their paper, sugges<sup>t</sup> that social work educators alongside students must be cognisant of the ways in which online profiles impact on their 'professional presence' [52]. Upholding public trust and confidence forms part of the current curriculum for social work in the UK and is embedded within the revised Standards of Conduct for Social Work Students [53]. In Northern Ireland, social work students and qualified practitioners who contravene professional boundaries or NISCC Standards when using social media will be held accountable for their actions, which could include a referral to a 'fitness to practise' panel.

Practice teachers/educators are role models to students in how to be a professional social worker and have a responsibility to ensure students are accountable for competent professional behaviour. Goffman [54] wrote about 'personal front' with reference to how people present themselves within social interactions. An individuals' appearance can often give clues to others about their social status. Do social workers look more professional if they are wearing a suit? Will the quality of the service-user–social worker relationship be aided by formal attire? Or is this about power and influence? Perhaps social work students are receiving conflicting messages between the university campus and the placement site? For example, in social work lectures, students can display their piercings, tattoos and wear shorts or football tops. It is a truism that increasingly universities are focused on the student experience and enhancing metrics by creating inclusive learning landscapes. Davys et al. [55] (p. 341), writing about Occupational Therapists, posits that ''part of being a professional is to consider the impact that self-presentation will have on the service user within her or his social context". Contrastingly, Williams et al., writing from a social work perspective, postulate that policies requiring staff to cover up tattoos and piercings are perhaps inconsistent with social work core values, leading to discrimination, stigma and prejudice [56]. Furthermore, within the Northern Ireland context, football or Gaelic Athletic Association jerseys are often associated as a signifier of religious or ethnic identity and are not permitted to be worn in the workplace.

Terum and Heggen [57] conducted a longitudinal study in Norway with social work students. Their research suggests that identification with a profession is an ongoing process and one which reflects on the student's answer to two questions.


They postulated that access to role models, e.g., lecturers, practice educators (on placement) and peers, forms the social work students' 'professional socialisation', which contributes to the creation of an identity. In this study, the undergraduate students are at an early stage in their professional journey, they are appraised of the common values, ethics, knowledge, skills and values required of the social work profession. Although how these are applied in practice (on placement) will be different given the individual approaches and methods they use. This is, essentially, their internalisation of professional identity and what makes a good social worker? Freidson [5] (p. 84) posits that this 'journey' 'contributes to the development of commitment to the occupation as a life career and to a shared identity, a feeling of community or solidarity among all those who have passed through it'.

Reflecting back to the example at the beginning of this paper with the NQSW and Ms. A, the social worker looked like a professional, (appearance) the meeting was held in a professional environment (boardroom) and the social worker was clear on why the meeting was taking place (purpose). However, on that particular day, his interaction with Ms. A was unprofessional and fell significantly below the basic standards the public and the social work profession expect.

The outcome of the 'your husband is a lovely man' scenario was twofold. In the first instance, a referral was made by the social worker's line manager for him to attend training on domestic violence. Furthermore, a meeting between Ms. A, the social worker and his line manager to enable Ms. A to discuss how she felt during that initial meeting was conducted. Strategic Priority 3 of the Learning and Improvement Strategy [58] identifies professional curiosity and the sharing of information and expertise as vehicles to acquire new knowledge skills and qualifications to better meet the needs of service users, carers and survivors. Despite the access to further training and professional supervision, what is unknown is what the social worker actually learned from this experience. Mezirow [59] refers to as the process of making a new or revised interpretation of the meaning of an experience, which guides subsequent understanding and application.

Greenglass [60] identified two forms of coping 'reactive' when stress is managed following a stressful or traumatic event and 'proactive', whereby resources are developed for future use. Both sets of respondents in this study identified similar themes in relation to the least aspirational type of social worker they would want to be as unprofessional, de-professionalised and cynical. Pithouse's views [61] (p. 4) on social work as an invisible professional activity resonates with this, "social work is an inherently 'invisible' trade that cannot be 'seen' without engaging in the workers' own routines for understanding their complex occupational terrain...social workers who visit people in the privacy of their own homes or see them in the office usually do so free from observation and interference by their colleagues, who likewise pursue a similar form of intervention".

Honesty, unequal treatment, failure to demonstrate respect in their interactions with service users and concerns about technical aspects of practice, e.g., breaching confidentiality were the top four categories of complaints raised about social workers in Northern Ireland from 2006–2015 [62]. The voice of service users, carers and survivors in Northern Ireland is fundamental to shaping social work students and qualified practitioners' understanding of the significance of building effective, professional, person-centred relationships which recognise the service user as the expert through experience [63].
