“It Was against the Rules but Had to Be Done”: Exploring Social Workers’ Professional Obligations

Multiple documents outline social workers’ professional obligations, such as the Global Definition of Social Work, laws, and codes of ethics. But how do practitioners themselves understand and perceive their professional obligations? In this critical discourse analysis study, authors examined closely what social workers talk about when they talk about the things they “have to do” or “must do.” Authors conducted interviews with 24 social workers working in a social services department in Israel. Focusing on linguistic analysis, authors isolated all tokens of “must” and “have to” and analyzed these excerpts using critical discourse analysis. Findings show that social workers perceive professional obligations on two axes. Under the first axis, “things you have to be,” authors found that personal characteristics and qualities, such as humility and diligence, were perceived as necessities in order to perform well as a social worker. Under the second axis, “things you have to do,” two kinds of obligations were identified: administrative obligations and professional obligations; the latter include an obligation to negotiate professional boundaries and to build helping relationships with service users. Authors showcase how participants’ linguistic choices reflect complex perceptions of professional obligations and carry significant implications for the profession of social work.