Policy Press
1 A history of community social work in the UK
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of community social work’s (CSW’s) origins in the post-war development of social work in the UK and how it rose briefly and unsuccessfully to prominence and then disappeared in the marketisation and focus on crisis-led services that predominated from the 1990s onwards. The chapter argues that the move away from its key role in prevention and place within communities has harmed social work and reduced its support role for people in need. It critically contends that the third sector has moved into much of the space formerly occupied by local-authority-provided social services and that, as a result of the attendant funding mechanisms, this sector no longer offers the campaigning challenge to government and policy makers that it once did. Finally, the chapter suggests that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that locally organised services have strengths and potential that could be realised through CSW approaches.
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of community social work’s (CSW’s) origins in the post-war development of social work in the UK and how it rose briefly and unsuccessfully to prominence and then disappeared in the marketisation and focus on crisis-led services that predominated from the 1990s onwards. The chapter argues that the move away from its key role in prevention and place within communities has harmed social work and reduced its support role for people in need. It critically contends that the third sector has moved into much of the space formerly occupied by local-authority-provided social services and that, as a result of the attendant funding mechanisms, this sector no longer offers the campaigning challenge to government and policy makers that it once did. Finally, the chapter suggests that the recent COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that locally organised services have strengths and potential that could be realised through CSW approaches.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vi
- Glossary of keywords and terms vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- A history of community social work in the UK 13
- Bringing community into mainstream social work 33
- Community social work for the present era 47
- Policy drivers and relevant legislation in the UK 70
- Scotland: Fife Council’s community social work team 81
- Northern Ireland: Clarendon Medical Practice’s multi-disciplinary team – from ‘Healthy Connections’ to ‘Strengthened Connections’ 98
- Wales: examples of community orientation and community social work from Carmarthenshire and Torfaen 107
- Community social work with a marginalised minority ethnic group: Gypsy and Traveller communities in England 118
- Learning from contemporary experience: reflections on the examples from across the UK 126
- Climate change and community social work 132
- Community social work within social work education 145
- Conclusion: The future of community orientation and community social work 159
- References 168
- Index 187
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of figures and tables v
- List of abbreviations vi
- Glossary of keywords and terms vii
- Acknowledgements xiii
- Introduction 1
- A history of community social work in the UK 13
- Bringing community into mainstream social work 33
- Community social work for the present era 47
- Policy drivers and relevant legislation in the UK 70
- Scotland: Fife Council’s community social work team 81
- Northern Ireland: Clarendon Medical Practice’s multi-disciplinary team – from ‘Healthy Connections’ to ‘Strengthened Connections’ 98
- Wales: examples of community orientation and community social work from Carmarthenshire and Torfaen 107
- Community social work with a marginalised minority ethnic group: Gypsy and Traveller communities in England 118
- Learning from contemporary experience: reflections on the examples from across the UK 126
- Climate change and community social work 132
- Community social work within social work education 145
- Conclusion: The future of community orientation and community social work 159
- References 168
- Index 187
