Recognising child protection social workers’ shifting professional identity after becoming a parent: An insider perspective

The article discusses the findings of a small qualitative study of how experienced social workers in child protection roles navigated changes in their professional practice when they returned to work after the birth of their first child. Insider positionality grounded the study in the “messy realities” of transition to parenthood, and facilitated candid discussion of the unexpected impact of parenthood on professional practice. Participants reflected on destabilisation in their confidence, including doubts about the types of advice and guidance they were required to provide to service users. They were surprised that they could find no formal or informal milieu where they could safely process changes in their professional persona. Astounded that their employing agencies seemed to pay no heed to their needs as parents, they became acutely aware of the paradox of working for agencies that were predicated on support for children and families but fell short with their own employees. Drawing on our findings, we suggest ways in which the experience of transition to parenthood could inform child protection practice, develop congruence with aspirational rhetoric, and promote staff retention.