Perceptions around professionalisation in social care work in Ireland: A workers advisory group study

Abstract

Social care work is soon to be included in the list of professions regulated by the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU), as a register for social care workers is expected to open in November 2023. Social care work is an emerging profession, which to-date has not enjoyed the professional status of other health and social care professions. This study sought to examine in the context of impending registration and regulation, the perceptions of social care workers around topics such as the organisational standing of social care work, perceptions of other professionals and the public, and the how social care workers felt that other social care workers viewed the profession. This study was developed in collaboration with the Workers Advisory Group of Social Care Ireland, and there were 360 responses to the online survey, with respondents working in all sectors of social care work, but with the majority of respondents from the disability sector. The findings suggest that social care work is yet to reach the status of other professions, that the public remain largely unaware of social care work as a profession and that social care workers often internalise such views, with many perceived to view social care work as largely a stepping stone to other professions. In contrast, social care workers are enthusiastic and optimistic that registration and regulation will help to address many of these issues.