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Kim Oosthuysen University of Queensland. SUSTAINING THE CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK WORKFORCE The role of professional recognition. Sustaining the Clinical Social Work Workforce. Kim Sherriffs Oosthuysen PhD Candidate, University of Queensland. The issues.
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Kim OosthuysenUniversity of Queensland SUSTAINING THE CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK WORKFORCE The role of professional recognition
Sustaining the Clinical Social Work Workforce Kim Sherriffs Oosthuysen PhD Candidate, University of Queensland
The issues • What is clinical social work and how does it fit within the broader profession? • Why are clinical social workers vulnerable? • What do they teach us about recognition in a professional context?
Many fields but shared interests Counsellors Family Therapists Self-employed Psychotherapists Mental Health Workers Availability of accredited advanced training Quality specialist CPE opportunities Standardized specialist supervision guidelines Inter-disciplinary representation Policy level advocacy
Shared representation CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK BOARD OF PRACTICE Counsellors Family Therapists Self-employed Psychotherapists Mental Health Workers
Why are they vulnerable? Routes to specialisation
“There is little provision within our existing social work undergraduate and post-graduate structures to allow for this specialisation, even though there is a need . . .for specialisation in Clinical Social Work. . .
. . .This is not adequate, nor does it assist in developing an effective and confident professional identity.” (Carrasco, 2007)
Why are they vulnerable? Routes to specialisation
PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION ACCURATELY IDENTIFIED and VALUED AS WORTHWHILE SEEKING STATUS AND POWER
Intra-professional valuing Affective commitment (want to be part) Intention to leave the profession Intra-professional recognition (within profession)
SUMMARY • Clinical social workers specialise in providing therapeutic services – 24% of AASW membership • Clinical Social Work Board of Practice • Vulnerable to skill and expertise challenges • Limited social work specific post-graduate options • Impacts acquisition of social work values, professional identity formation and socialisation into the profession • Recognition = accurately identified and valued • Three distinct levels of recognition – reliable instrument • Feeling valued by peers is key to WANTING to be part of the profession and not intending to leave • First empirical evidence that intra-professional devaluing is detrimental to the broader profession
Thank you . . . • For more information, contact Kim at • k.oosthuysen@uq.edu.au