The relevance of practice development for professionalisation of social work

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