Evidence-based practice [EBP] have had a large influence on social work since the 1990s and has received both praise and criticism among professional social workers. New demands on social work practice following EBP has also influenced the professional identity of social workers. This essay has sought to examine how previously published research describes the development of the discussion around evidence-based social work and how this discussion is connected to both the identity of the discipline of social work as well as the professional identity of social workers. Previous research has shown that the professional identity of social workers is multifaceted and ambivalent, especially in relation to research, knowledge and EBP.

This research overview has its theoretical stance in social constructivism and critical theory. The overview has been constructed through a thematical analysis of included research which has combined both qualitative and quantitative research. The main results of this study indicate that the implementation of EBP in social work has brought both organizational and epistemological tensions within the profession to light. The results also indicate a view among professionals that the model of EBP is too narrow to incorporate the dynamic practice of social work. Because of this, social workers have started to develop their knowledge base to include more research evidence and scientific language rather than incorporating EBP in their everyday practice. The result also indicates that social workers have somewhat reconstructed their professional identity to incorporate these new demands on social work practice.