The complexity of the daily practice of social workers in the Netherlands has increased, while the social appreciation for their work has decreased. Stakeholders involved in social work practice agreed that a master's programme for social workers could be an important step to improve the quality of social work and enhance the professionalisation of social workers. However, stakeholders disagreed considerably on the objectives of this new programme. Hence, there was no focus for the programme or for its evaluation. In order to assess the purpose and intended goals of the master's programme in social work, a retrospective plan evaluation was conducted, consisting of a document analysis and concept-mapping procedure with thirty-nine stakeholders. The study resulted in a consensus-based conceptual framework in which practice development is considered the key domain of the programme. Practice development seems to fit the open domain of social work and meets the various and often ambivalent demands on social workers and their profession. It is regarded as a method in which the social worker with a master's degree has a new role and position in the interplay between clients, stakeholders and professionals.

This article explores the relevance of Practice Development (PD), as developed in nursing, for fostering practice improvement and the external recognition of social work. The findings of a Delphi study among 17 social work experts reveal that PD in social work is framed as a collective endeavour embedded in a professional learning community of social workers aimed at systematically developing their practice with regard to shared recurring complex social problems. The experts reached consensus on the core components that constitute PD in the context of social work: Cooperation with a diversity of stakeholders; Linking, including the integration of multiple perspectives and adjustment to the context; Evidence Based Practice. With regard to the organisation of PD, experts agree on the importance of the practice developer role but disagree on the mandate for PD, allocation of the pdrole and competences for this role. The emphasis on collective sense making and on organisational and outside realities implies that PD in social work is consistent with the notion of connective professionalism. However, the framing of PD as a meta-activity for which only social workers share responsibility, raises also questions about its role in moving social work towards more connective forms of professionalism. SAMENVATTINGDit artikel verkent de relevantie van Practice Development (PD), zoals ontwikkeld in de verpleegkunde, voor praktijkontwikkeling en het versterken van de positie van het sociaal werk. De resultaten van een Delphi studie met 17 experts in het sociaal werk laten zien dat PD in het sociaal werk beschouwd wordt als een gemeenschappelijke inspanning ingebed in een professionele leergemeenschap van sociaal werkers, gericht op het systematisch ontwikkelen van hun praktijk in relatie tot terugkerende, gedeelde en complexe sociale problemen. De experts bereikten consensus over de kernelementen van PD in de context van het sociaal werk. Samenwerken met een diversiteit aan stakeholders; Verbinden, inclusief de integratie van meervoudige perspectieven en afstemming op de context; Evidence Based Practice. Wat betreft de organisatie van PD, zijn de experts het eens over het belang van de rol

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