Negotiating multiple faces in social work spaces: ethnographic insights into the performance of professional identity across adult and child and family teams

This article explores how professional identity is enacted in social work practice, drawing together two ethnographic studies of adult and child and family social care services in Scotland and England. Through ethnographic observation, interviews, and reflective fieldnotes, the studies captured how practitioners (n=70) discuss cases and interact with colleagues. Four themes emerged: Professional self as a defensive position; Professional faces in formal spaces; Informal spaces as forums for exploring emotions; and Humour in backstage space. Applying Goffman’s (1959) dramaturgical framework, the analysis shows that professional identity is fluid and context-dependent, enacted through multiple faces that emphasise authority, technical knowledge, emotional control, or relational engagement. In formal settings, practitioners often foreground structured, risk-focused aspects of their professional selves, while informal interactions allow humour, reflection, and emotional expression. These dimensions are not separate; rather, they are integrated aspects of professional identity that practitioners navigate in response to organisational expectations, relationships and practice demands. Understanding identity as dynamic shows how social workers negotiate tensions between professional credibility, emotional authenticity, and organisational expectations. The findings indicate that organisational cultures and supervisory practices should support integration of different aspects of professional identity, rather than compartmentalisation, to promote practitioner wellbeing, relational practice, and quality of care.