Description
Book SynopsisSocial Work explores the dilemmas and tensions that practitioners are compelled to resolve in their daily work. Drawing on a broad range of theories, Social Work outlines the knowledge, skills and values that enable practitioners to respond more effectively to the demands made of them in fluid and constantly changing contexts.
Trade Review"Dominelli's excellent book examines the neo-liberal political traditions that have resulted in social work becoming such a 'troubled and troubling profession'."
Health Service Journal
"This is an ambitious and challenging book. It recognizes that contemporary social work is in some difficulty in the face of the ascendancy of neo-liberalism. Social work has been deeply affected by such reactionary pressures both locally and internationally. Dominelli does not shrink away from these challenges and in Social Work provides critical information and analysis which will help all those working for a resurgent social work practice committed to social justice and human rights."
Chris Jones, University of Liverpool
"Dominelli applies a critical and creative perspective to social work in our current global environment. She challenges our conventional assumptions regarding the role and practice of social work and social workers to propose ways in which we can rethink our purpose. This book makes a major contribution to social work theory and practice."
Lorraine Gutierrez, University of Michigan
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments.
1. Introduction.
Introduction.
Rethinking Social Work: Interrogating Practice in and Uncertain and Difficult Clime.
The Philanthropic Gaze: Privileging Residual Welfare Provisions.
Continuities and Discontinuities in Practice.
Unity and Fragmentation in Social Work.
Structure of the Book.
2. Social Work: A Profession in Changing Contexts.
Introduction.
Macro-Level Contexts.
The Impact of Globalizing Forces on Welfare Provisions.
Quality Assurance.
The Internationalization of Social Problems.
Meso-Level Contexts.
National Policy Frameworks: Social Inclusion and Exclusion.
Micro-level Contexts.
Power and Authority.
A Technology of Governmentality: The ‘Social’ Divides Clients into ‘Deserving’ and ‘Undeserving’ Groups and Rations Resources.
Defining Moments in Professional Social Work: Shifting Contexts for Practice.
A New Profession Makes its Claims: The Early Beginnings of Social Work.
Professional Consolidation.
A Brief Period of Consensus Around the Welfare State.
The Consensus Unravels.
A New Consensus Forms Around the Precepts of Neo-Liberal Market Ideologies.
Globalization Reframes the Social Work Agenda.
Conclusions,.
3. Values, Ethics and Empowerment.
Introduction.
Practising Social Work Values: Reconfiguring Continuities and Discontinuities.
Stability and Change in Values.
Trust.
A Commitment to Social Justice: A Contested Value.
Reconfiguring the Ethic of Care.
Rethinking the Life-course within Identity.
Identity.
Processes of Intervention.
The Dance of Competing Values in the Major Approaches to Social Work.
Casework: Individualizing Social Problems.
Groupwork: The Acknowledgment of Systems.
Community Work: A Concern with Structural Inequalities.
Competence-Based Social Work: Fragmenting and Technocratising Social Problems.
Valuing Social Justice and Social Change: A human Rights Context for Practice.
Training is No Longer the Preserve of the Academy.
Changing Agendas.
Conclusions.
4 Social Work intervention with Children and Families.
Introduction.
Familialist Discourses/Understanding Diverse Conceptualisations of ‘the Family’.
Adultist Paradigms in Child Welfare.
Power, Control and Governmentality.
Constructing Childhood Through Practice.
Policing Deviant Families: Children on the ‘at Risk Register’.
Risk Assessment and Management in Child Welfare Work.
Failing Children.
Revitalising Communities: Approaching Child Welfare as a Collective Responsibility.
Assimilation as Exclusionary Practice.
Conclusions.
5 Social Work Intervention with Older People.
Introduction.
Mobilizing to Challenge Negative Images of Older People.
Constructing the Older Person in Social Work Practice.
Community Care.
Commodifying Social Work with Older People.
Elder Abuse.
Insecurity and Loss in Older People’s Lives.
Young Careers Providing Services for Older People.
Services for Older People.
Conclusions.
6 Social Work with Offenders.
Introduction.
(Re)configuring Environments of Crime and Control.
Differentiated Responses to Offenders.
Women Offenders.
Class-based Offenders.
Racialized Discourse on Crime: Black Offenders.
Young Offenders.
Children’s Offending Behaviour Brings Poor Parenting Under Fire.
Authoritarian Populism Targets Parents.
Risk Assessment and Risk Management.
Managing Crime Statistics.
Managing Offending Behaviour.
Working with offending Behaviour.
Working With Offenders: Changing Roles and Directions.
Probation: The Link with Social Work.
Breaking the Link with Social Work.
Market Incentives.
Privatizing Parts of the Criminal Justice System.
From a Social Work Activity to a Corrections-based One.
The Rise of Victims’ Rights.
Citizenship and Offenders’ Rights to Rehabilitation.
Conclusions.
7 Social Work Interventions in Communities.
Introduction.
(Re)Defining Communities.
Post-war Community Work in Britain.
Reconfiguring Community Work in Britan.
Exclusionary Community Relations.
Control or Liberation?.
Communities in Social Work.
Vulnerability: a Factor in Oppressing Diverse Communities.
Conclusions.
8 New Directions for Social Work: Interdependence, Reciprocity, Citizenship and Social Justice.
Introduction.
Social Justice and Citizenship.
Different Visions for Social Work.
Interdependence and Solidarity.
Reciprocity and Entitlements.
Modelling New Directions for Social Work.
Education and Training.
Conclusions.
9 Conclusions: Social Work: A Force for Change at Individual and Structural Levels.
Introduction.
Practice is thinking and doing.
Conclusions.
Notes.
Bibliography.
Glossary.
Index.
