Six types of social worker - which are you?

Social workers come from a multitude of different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life which impact upon them and moulds them into particular types of practitioners.

As students, we are taught very similar things at university and pick up skills on placements, but it is the type of person we are that truly shapes the type of social worker we become.

Organisational psychologists Peter Honey and Alan Mumford set out distinct learning styles which can be linked to particular types of worker. For example, the ‘reflector’ style of learning and the ‘innovative’ social worker, as well as the ‘theorist’ style and the ‘compliant’ social worker.

There is also a psychological way of looking at the type of person and professional you are. Schema therapy developed by Jeff Young looks at the emotional states of day-to-day situations and the coping responses individuals have to manage these. The positive and negative modes within Schema therapy can shape the type of person you are, and in turn the type of social worker you become.  

Here is a list of the six different types of social worker. Some social workers may feel that they fit in to one type, while others that they match a few of them.

Advocate

This type typically involves being an advocate for those we support and speaking up for what they need and are entitled to. Social workers can be seen as both supporters of the individual they are working with, as well as activists challenging decisions made that they feel are unjust.

Wanting to speak up for their service user can be seen as ‘empathic consideration’ when the social worker has had similar personal experiences, or it may be a natural part of their professional values, wanting to raise the voice for those less fortunate than themselves.

Most people will feel they fit this type of social worker, as the majority of people in the profession will say they want to help people and speak up for them. However, to truly be an advocate for the people we support requires actions from the social worker that supports their wishes and speaks up against any discrimination or oppression.

Intuitive

Being intuitive and making decisions based on gut feeling can be scary for some, but experienced social workers can sometimes see small indicators that make them feel uneasy. Sometimes things may need to be done based on the information provided, but also the instinctual nature of the professional.

Intuition comes with experience, so this tends to be seen in the more practiced social workers. There are some professionals who have lived experiences that can give them knowledge and help with their instincts, something that leading researcher with the McPin Foundation Tanya Mackay believes is an "underutilised expertise".

Compliant  

While training to be a social worker, the law, legislation, policies and procedures are drilled in to the professional. The compliant social work is following the letter of the law, ensuring all local policies and procedures are followed. Sometimes sticking to these may create negative outcomes for the people being supported as some policies may be inadvertently oppressive to those they are meant to support.

Being an obedient social worker means that the professional can defend their decisions if they are ever questioned. However, this may lead to them not providing the essential support and stimulus needed for the individual to reach their desired outcomes.

‘Compliant surrender’ is a psychological mode where the social worker gives in to the demands and expectations of those in power. This type of social worker will reduce the risk of getting into trouble by not diverting from their path.

Innovative

An innovative social worker will look at new ways to provide support or access lesser-utilised options, which can benefit the service user. Typically, the innovative social worker will look beyond the usual providers to other areas of the sector to uncover new support networks and service provisions that may support specific aspects of the individual’s needs, not just the bulk of the needs identified.

Looking outside of the normal service provision takes courage and knowledge. Wanting to support an individual outside the usual scope means breaking away from traditional support, as well as having an understanding of alternative support in the community. This may also include creating and facilitating a new type of support group or provision themselves, which they feel is missing in their service or a service they have encountered.

Activist 

This social worker wants to challenge those in authority when they feel the system is oppressing their service or find themselves arguing with other professionals who have different ideas. This is similar to the approach seen in the influential book Radical Social Work by Bailey and Blake, where professionals challenge the status quo and empower individuals to create social change.

This rebellious way of working may be due to the professional’s desire to be a powerful advocate for the person they are supporting but could also be misplaced due to an innate dislike of authority and hierarchy.

This way of working requires ‘self-directiveness’ from the social worker, meaning they are focused on what matters to the individual and what they need, rather than the praise or recognition that they get for standing up for them.

Idle

An idle social worker will complete their necessary work with an individual but will do the minimum amount of work in order to provide the basic amount of support. This idleness can sometimes develop after a long time in the career, where there is risk of burnout, as well as when the professional has a large case load and wants to close some cases.

Recently there has been a rise in the term ‘quiet quitting’, where people do the bare minimum of work due to feeling like there is no progression in work and seems to be no incentive with regard to a pay rise. A similar concept of employees ‘acting their wage’ results in the same low effort performance, with a reported 52 per cent of those under 30 choosing to work this way, according to American recruitment expert Peter Milne.

Social workers who feel detached from their team or their profession may feel their contribution is not recognised and may want to protect themselves from the pressures of the job by only doing  work that is essential, therefore guarding themselves from possible complaints as well as work-related stress.

Final thoughts...

This is not an exhaustive list but are the types I feel make up the majority of social workers currently practicing in different areas of the profession.

Which one, or mixture, are you?

Daniel Thompson is an apprentice social worker, currently in his third year of the BSc (Hons) social work degree. He has experience in multiple health and social care settings