ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines professional identity–its nature, development and application–in social work through a social science lens. It demonstrates the significance of professional identity because of its links to a wide range of experiences, contexts, values and institutional locations that otherwise would not be associated in social work. The book provides an overview of key perspectives, concepts and approaches that form around issues of professional identity. It shows how these have been adopted and critiqued within the field and focuses on the theoretical and conceptual matters of professional identity as it relates to social work. The book examines the impact of "risk work" on the formation of the professional in child protection social work. It draws on the institutional logics perspective to examine the way in which professional identity has become a matter of concern for social work.
