Blame the youth? The changing professional ideology of the social worker Steven Brandt Preconference TiSSA 2017 Social Work as a Space for Dialogue, Diversity and Cooperation

Shifting social work goals

Shifting professional ideology of social workers? (Marston and McDonald 2012), (Weiss-Gal 2008), (Kam 2014), (Karger and Hernandez 2004), (Gillingham 2011)

professional ideology goals strategies = a system of existential and evaluative ideas expressing the goals of the profession and the means of attaining them (Armor & Klerman, 1968)

Professional ideology in social work studies Professional Ideologies and Preferences in Social Work: A British Study in Global Perspective (Woodcock and Dixon 2005): (1)explanations of poverty, (2) causes of delinquency, (3) ways of dealing with poverty and (4) goals of social work The Person-in-Environment Approach: Professional Ideology and Practice of Social Workers in Israel (Weiss-Gal, 2008) (1) the perceived importance of various social work goals and (2) the interventions fitting for social workers to engage in. Woodcock en Dixon voerden een studie uit in 10 landen bij pas afgestudeerde sociaal werkers naar hun professionele ideologie. In grote lijnen gebruikten ze 4 clusters variabelen om professionele ideologie te meten. Weiss-Gal omschreef in haar studie prof. Ideologie aan de hand van doelstellingen en gekozen interventies.

research phases Phase 2 Phase 1 Phase 3 PI & teams Design What characterizes a social work professional? Which professional ideologies? Different generation, different professional ideologies? Phase 2 Phase 1 Phase 3 implications for social work practice/teams? implications for social work policy? PI & teams Design Identifying PI PI & Policy

Phase 1: research actions analyse inform & consent design & create collect & transform 1 2 3 4

Analysis horizontal analysis Context vertical analysis Perspectives Cornelia Josette Petra Client een doel op zich wordt ten koste van Bla bla bla op alle generaties gelijktijdig een invloed Practice Ook de sociaal werker is een beleidsmaker de vrees bij een aantal leidinggevenden Methods een uniek karakter dat afgestemd is op de noden van cliënt technisch administratieve invulling van professionaliteit … gericht op het compenseren van tekorten ook in professionele omgevingen zijn socialisaties van belang eigen verwachtingen heeft naar hulpverleningsrelatie Context Professional ideologies vertical analysis Cases Generations

Professional ideologies 1 Tailor made ideology Safety net ideology 6 2 Education ideology Benefit ideology 5 3 Assistance ideology 4 Workfare ideology

Professional Ideologies: distribution Benefit Education Tailor made Assistance 21 cases 17 cases Safety net 5 cases workfare < 27

Latest generation (3 youngest cases) assistence safety net workfare

Karl Mannheim: ‘… members of any one generation can participate only in a temporally limited section of the historical process, …’ (Mannheim, 1952, p. 292). “Different generations live in the same time. But since the experienced time is a different time, it represents a different period of the self.” (Mannheim, 1952, p. 283)

Generational perspectives RETROSPECTIVE Earlier generations knowledge & experience Look back in time PROSPECTIVE New generations Up-to-date-ness Closer to the present & future 14

New generation social workers in 2017: The institututional orientation user Service Social worker Institution Policies towards special groups Plurality of laws Guidelines ICT system Reports

New professionals in 1980’s: the past generation: The client orientation claimant Welfare Social worker institution

Blame the youth?

Questions Relation with / differences with Professional identity Professional ethics Political identity Local knowledge (one institution) --> scientifical knowledge