4 Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach
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Annica Brummel
Abstract
To guide the direction and approach of social innovation a normative framework is highly useful and perhaps even indispensable, particularly for social workers engaging in or with social innovation. In this chapter the capability approach (CA) is proposed as one potential and promising framework for social workers who are, or aspire to be, involved in social innovation projects to provide normative grounding in social values consistent with the global definition of social work. Let alone that the CA is not the only possible normative framework to serve such a purpose, the chapter describes how we succeeded in operationalising the CA by co-creatively developing an instrument that enabled us to work with the rather abstract normative notions in the CA in concrete participatory action research studies. This instrument takes the form of the Capability Cards, a conversational tool in which dialogue cards based on Martha Nussbaum’s central capabilities facilitate professional–client or professional–professional conversations on the essence of the preferred good life and what enhances or hampers it as it is lived. Several case examples show that the application of the Capability Cards indeed guides reflections, dialogue, decisioning and actions towards the key normative notions of the CA.
Abstract
To guide the direction and approach of social innovation a normative framework is highly useful and perhaps even indispensable, particularly for social workers engaging in or with social innovation. In this chapter the capability approach (CA) is proposed as one potential and promising framework for social workers who are, or aspire to be, involved in social innovation projects to provide normative grounding in social values consistent with the global definition of social work. Let alone that the CA is not the only possible normative framework to serve such a purpose, the chapter describes how we succeeded in operationalising the CA by co-creatively developing an instrument that enabled us to work with the rather abstract normative notions in the CA in concrete participatory action research studies. This instrument takes the form of the Capability Cards, a conversational tool in which dialogue cards based on Martha Nussbaum’s central capabilities facilitate professional–client or professional–professional conversations on the essence of the preferred good life and what enhances or hampers it as it is lived. Several case examples show that the application of the Capability Cards indeed guides reflections, dialogue, decisioning and actions towards the key normative notions of the CA.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
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Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
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Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
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Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
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Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
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Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
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Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- List of figures and tables x
- List of abbreviations xi
- Notes on contributors xiii
- Introduction 1
-
Framing social innovation and social work
- Social work and social innovation: how the twain can meet 11
- How to change our neighbourhoods, regions and the world: using symptoms, systems and transformation as a framework for social innovation and social work 24
- Social work, social innovation, discretion and creativity: day-to-day innovation of practice 41
- Potential for social innovation in social work: applying the capability approach 54
-
Examples of social innovations in social work across Europe
-
Co-creation and co-production of social services: social innovation in practice
- The art of co-creation: service innovation in Europe 71
- Promoting social services innovation: regional and local examples from across Europe 84
- Co-creation in action: lessons from the CoSIE project 98
- Social innovation and service users’ involvement: enhancing the knowledge of social work 112
- Moderating processes of social innovation: insights from a case study on labour market activation 124
-
Education and learning: social innovation in social work education and learning
- Regional learning networks in the social welfare domain: drivers of social innovation in social work 139
- Putting learning communities into practice: innovation of social work education 150
- Learning from innovation processes: introducing Easy Language in adult protection services 164
-
Community work, community-led innovation and collective action
- The rediscovery of community: community development as social innovation 179
- Climate change from a green social work perspective: responding to a constantly evolving crisis challenging social work practice 193
- Co-creation of nature-based solutions: guidelines for citizen engagement 208
- Innovating social work practices to better address homelessness: participatory action research with community services in Italy 223
- Challenging the power status quo: paradoxes in grassroots social innovation 236
-
Social entrepreneurship: inclusive and regenerative models of social business and innovation for sustainable impact
- Social entrepreneurship as social innovation: what about social work? 251
- The growing rhetoric of entrepreneurship in times of crisis: future challenges of social work in the case of Portugal 263
- Unlimited incubators for belonging, cohesion and impact: nurturing ‘what is already there’ 276
- Developing the innovative power of social work: synthesis and future directions 289
- Index 298
