Critical Reflection: A Contemporary Social Work Virtue

In 2012, the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) was launched as the overarching framework for social work education and practice in England, against which the progress of practitioners at qualifying and post-qualifying levels is measured. For the first time, Critical Reflection was explicitly incorporated into statements outlining expectations associated with practitioner capability. Critical Reflection has continued to feature in key guidance documents for specific work and practice contexts in England. The lack of clarity and coherence regarding the ways in which Critical Reflection may be understood and utilized in practice remain, despite a mapping document (2020) aligning the PCF with various professional regulatory standards in England. This implies that changing how social work practitioners learn about, understand and apply Critical Reflection might engender different, more relational and ethical ways connected with the being, doing and becoming of social work(ers).

This thesis acknowledges Critical Reflection as a contested concept reflecting a range of potential individual, geographical, cultural, philosophical, spiritual, historical, political and disciplinary perspectives and contexts. It expands existing knowledge by exploring the often-subjective meaning of Critical Reflection to practitioners and its impact on practice, whilst arguing for previously unconsidered implications of conceptualising Critical Reflection as an acquired, agentic character trait or virtue of individual social workers which contributes to human flourishing. A thematic narrative approach underpins the conduct of two focus groups and eleven interviews with practitioners with different levels of experience and specialisms from across England, and the subsequent data analysis. Findings suggest that social worker’s understanding of Critical Reflection is influenced by their training, practice experiences and organisational contexts, and fundamentally languaged and shaped by guidance documents, with implications for future learning cultures.

This thesis asserts that conceptualising Critical Reflection as a contemporary social work virtue would contribute to individual and community well-being by positively influencing practitioner identity, concrete practices and perceived outcomes.