2 Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK
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Roger Smith
Abstract
This chapter provides a brief overview of recent and current developments in social work policy activism in the UK. It reflects on the ‘radical social work’ tradition, and the relationship between policy work and professionalism in social work. Drawing on examples of organisation around key campaigns, the chapter makes the case for policy-oriented practice, as integral to all aspects of social work. In this respect, the distinction between ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ practice is redrawn, in order to demonstrate that both are equally infused with a policy dimension. It is impossible to undertake ‘policy-free’ practice; and the impact of policy and structures on service users has to be factored in to all aspects of social work intervention.
Abstract
This chapter provides a brief overview of recent and current developments in social work policy activism in the UK. It reflects on the ‘radical social work’ tradition, and the relationship between policy work and professionalism in social work. Drawing on examples of organisation around key campaigns, the chapter makes the case for policy-oriented practice, as integral to all aspects of social work. In this respect, the distinction between ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ practice is redrawn, in order to demonstrate that both are equally infused with a policy dimension. It is impossible to undertake ‘policy-free’ practice; and the impact of policy and structures on service users has to be factored in to all aspects of social work intervention.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction: social work and the making of social policy 1
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Social work, problem definition and agenda setting
- Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK 21
- Social work, problem definition and policy change in the US: the case of sex-trafficked youth 37
- The voices of Italian social workers: from a pilot anti-poverty intervention to a national policy 53
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Social work interests in policy formulation and decision making
- Social reform in the US: lessons from the Progressive Era 71
- Social work academia and social policy in Israel: on the role of social work academics in the policy process 89
- Social workers’ collective policy practice in times of austerity: Italy and Spain compared 105
- Social policy and welfare movements ‘from below’: the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) in the UK 121
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Social work and implementation
- Policy work and the ethics of obedience and resistance: perspectives from Britain and beyond 139
- Systemic barriers to effective implementation of child protection reform in Israel 155
- Social workers implementing social assistance in Spain: reshaping poverty in a familialistic welfare state 169
- Layering, social risks and manufactured uncertainties in social work in Poland 185
- ‘A little more humanity’: placement officers in Germany between social work and social policy 201
- Conclusion: social work and the making of social policy – lessons learned 217
- Index 229
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures and tables vii
- Notes on contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvii
- Introduction: social work and the making of social policy 1
-
Social work, problem definition and agenda setting
- Social work as policy innovator: challenges and possibilities in the UK 21
- Social work, problem definition and policy change in the US: the case of sex-trafficked youth 37
- The voices of Italian social workers: from a pilot anti-poverty intervention to a national policy 53
-
Social work interests in policy formulation and decision making
- Social reform in the US: lessons from the Progressive Era 71
- Social work academia and social policy in Israel: on the role of social work academics in the policy process 89
- Social workers’ collective policy practice in times of austerity: Italy and Spain compared 105
- Social policy and welfare movements ‘from below’: the Social Work Action Network (SWAN) in the UK 121
-
Social work and implementation
- Policy work and the ethics of obedience and resistance: perspectives from Britain and beyond 139
- Systemic barriers to effective implementation of child protection reform in Israel 155
- Social workers implementing social assistance in Spain: reshaping poverty in a familialistic welfare state 169
- Layering, social risks and manufactured uncertainties in social work in Poland 185
- ‘A little more humanity’: placement officers in Germany between social work and social policy 201
- Conclusion: social work and the making of social policy – lessons learned 217
- Index 229
