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SOCIAL WORKERS WITH TATTOOS For many people, the subject of tattoos provokes a Marmite reaction.
“I CERTAINLY EXPERIENCED
In the past four decades, tattoos have done the rounds - from statement rockers, to celtic band-loving pop fans, to...well, pretty much everybody else.
BIAS DUE TO MY ‘ALTERNATIVE
But while tattoos were once considered as having absolutely no place in the professional arena, we’re now seeing a serious shift in attitude when it comes to body art. So is it acceptable for social workers to have tattoos?
says Tilia Lenz, a Senior Lecturer of Social Work and CPD at Bournemouth University, who began working as a frontline social worker in 2006.
PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LOOKS’ OVER THE YEARS”
“Today though, tattoos and body art are not just for the perceived outsiders
of society, but are adorned by many professionals, and employer’s views and attitudes are changing. “As a social worker, the ‘use of self’ is the most important tool in practice, and my appearance has opened more doors than it’s closed. “Now I see many social work students with body art, who will further push back dated views and, hopefully, make our world more colourful and accepting.”
