Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK.

Dr Fran Wiles is a qualified social worker registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the Open University, UK.

What does it mean to be ‘professional’ in social work? Which professional skills and values should you develop as a social worker or student of the field? Can developing self-management help social workers to refine their professional skills?

This accessible yet rigorous text, written by authors with extensive social work experience, advances the theory that there is one guiding thread behind the skills and capabilities associated with professionalism: self-management. This novel insight gains its relevance from the fact that social workers are increasingly expected to demonstrate high standards of professionalism when working with service users and colleagues but often lack the support to achieve this end. The authors also show that professionalism entails the deployment of appropriate skills to motivate and empower service users to change problematic behaviours.

Whether the reader is a student of social work, working with children and families or with adults, or looking to draw on self-management skills in planning their continuing professional development (CPD), this concise effort offers the reader a rich exploration of professional practice.

Divided into theory and practice, the book includes:

• Sociological theories on professionalization and the role of values in practice.

• Advice for developing self-management, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy through an exploration of evidence-based literature, research notes and case studies.

• Guidance on professional social work communication skills, with particular attention to power relations in selecting appropriate communication methods in different contexts and with diverse people.

• Safeguarding in the light of professionalism and critical analysis.

• Leadership skills, and professional development to achieve leadership within a wider team or agency.

This book forms part of the Social Work Skills in Practice series. The series focuses on key social work skills required for working with children and adult service users, families and carers. The books offer both theoretical and evidence-informed knowledge, alongside the application of skills relevant to day-to-day social work practice.  
They are an invaluable resource for pre-qualifying students, newly-qualified social workers, academics teaching and researching in the field, as well as social work practitioners, including practice educators, pursuing continuing professional development.