New Labour, Social Justice and Children: Political Calculation and the Deserving-Undeserving Schism

Correspondence to: Barry Goldson, Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work Studies, The University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, UK. E-mail: b.goldson{at}liv.ac.uk Summary Within a context of national prosperity and relative economicstrength, poverty and inequality is rife in the UK. This paperconsiders the broad contours of such social injustice, beforesharpening the focus to examine the specificities of child poverty.The New Labour government has made an ‘historic pledge’to end child poverty within a generation. The paper traces thekey policy initiatives that are being directed to this end and,by drawing on the latest research evidence, it attempts to assesstheir early impact. Whilst it is acknowledged that the government'ssocial justice agenda has made some progress in ‘tackling’child poverty, it is further proposed that a more rigorous redistributiveapproach is required if substantial and sustainable improvementsare to be made. Furthermore, it is argued that the social justiceagenda is conditioned by wider political calculations, whichlimit its scope. In this way the imperative to be seen to be‘tough on crime’ has meant that policy responsesto children in trouble have taken a distinctive and increasinglypunitive form. By developing the argument that New Labour'selectoral ambitions have led it to re-engage with a specious‘deserving’ ‘undeserving’ conceptualdichotomy, the paper assesses the implications for the treatmentof child ‘offenders’ in particular, and the broadersocial justice project more generally.     

An Unacceptable Role for Social Work: Implementing Immigration Policy

Correspondence to Dr Beth Humphries, Department of Applied Social Science, Lancaster University, Cartmel College, Lancaster, LA1 4YL. E-mail: b.humphries{at}lancaster.ac.uk Summary Social work has always had a role in policing the boundariesof welfare, and under New Labour there has been a decisive shiftto an increasingly narrow and negative practice. This articletakes social work’s involvement in internal immigrationcontrols as an example of the profession’s complicityin implementing social policies that are degrading and inhuman.It argues that social work has adopted a reactionary and uncriticalview of policy, and asks whether there might be a more progressivefuture for the profession.     

Regulation or fragmentation? Directions for Social Work under New Labour

Summary This article reviews the modernizing agenda of New Labour forsocial work which has been articulated in the various changesfor social work and social care announced in the ‘QualityStrategy’. Focusing predominantly on arrangements foreducation and training, the article argues that, rather thanpresenting a coherent strategy, the structures and proceduresare fragmented and unco-ordinated at many levels. A major weaknessis that New Labour has failed to clarify where it places socialwork in the structures of a ‘modernized’ welfarestate.     

The Impact of the First Term of the New Labour Government on Social Work in Britain: The Interface between Education Policy and Social Work

Summary This paper considers how far the New Labour educational policyrepresents a clear shift in focus from the policies of the Conservativeadministrations of the 1980s and 1990s. As in other areas ofsocial policy, the paper concludes that current government policyowes as much—if not more—to ‘New Right’ideology than to that of the ‘Old Left’. With anew emphasis on social inclusion, the paper considers the contributionof, and implications for, contemporary developments in educationpolicy and practice for child and family social work in general,and education social work in particular.     

Social Movements, Social Justice and Social Work

Correspondence to: Neil Thompson, Avenue Consulting Ltd, PO Box 2060, Wrexham LL13 OZG, Wales, UK. Summary This paper explores the relationship between social movements,social justice and social work. It examines the role of socialmovements in promoting social justice and considers the influencesof such movements in the development of emancipatory forms ofsocial work practice. It also considers the question of whethersocial work can be viewed as a form of social movement in itsown right. A central theme of the paper is the fundamental tensionbetween social work as a force for social regulation and asa force for social development and emancipation.     

Voices From the Front Line: State Social Workers and New Labour

Summary The article explores the condition of state social work in Englandtoday. It is based on interviews with experienced social workersemployed by local authority social services departments acrossthe north of England. These front line state social workersprovide a penetrating insight into the diverse ways in whichtheir work has been transformed and degraded and the mannerin which the needs of clients have been largely ignored. Fromtheir perspective, the election of a Labour government in 1997proved to be a massive disappointment and many social workersreported that it has further undermined state social work practice,workers and clients. The paper seeks to offer an explanationby noting the neo-liberalism of Labour's social policy and thedire consequences which flow from New Labour's fixation withwaged work as the principal solution to social exclusion andpoverty. Above all, it seeks to provide an opportunity for theviews of front-line state social workers to be heard.     

Conflicts, Conciliation and Social Work

Correspondence to Adrian L. James, Lecturer in Applied Social Studies, Department of Social Policy and Professional Studies, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX. Summary This article seeks to draw together some issues and themes whichare identifiable in recent social work literature and practice,and in the criminal and civil law. It explores the nature ofconciliation as a method for dealing with conflict. It alsoconsiders some aspects of the nature of social work and theprocess by which problems become the object of social work treatment.It is argued that this process can effectively limit the scopefor client involvement in seeking solutions to their problems,and that conciliation might offer some potential for increasingthis, whilst also revitalizing the ethical base of social workpractice.     

The Victorian Ethical Foundations of Social Work in England--Continuity and Contradiction

Correspondence to Bill Forsythe, Dean of Academic Partnerships, 261, Northcote House, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, UK. E-mail: W.J.Forsythe{at}exeter.ac.uk Summary In this article we argue that during the Victorian era certainethical foundations of best practice were identified and werecentral to the work of particular individuals. We also arguethat there was a strongly discriminatory moralistic basis tosocial policy and mainstream charitable intervention that militatedagainst these ethical foundations. We suggest that this contradictionis replicated in New Labour's ‘Third Way’ and thatwe need to heed the tradition of social inclusion espoused bysome of the Victorian practitioners discussed if we genuinelymean to put into practice the ideas of social worth and communityespoused by New Labour rather than return to the Victorian distinctionbetween the ‘respectable’ or ‘deserving’poor and the ‘pauper’.     

Social Work: Gender, Care and Justice

Correspondence to: Joan Orme, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Lilybank House, Bute Gardens, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RT, UK. Summary This article, in examining gender and justice, seeks to examinethe relationship between feminist theory and social work. Specificallyit reviews writings on social work ethics and suggests thatlittle attention has been paid to feminist scholarship thatresonates with social work practice. Focusing primarily on communitycare, it demonstrates how debates within feminism have becomemore complex and have problematized understandings of both careand justice. It argues that for social work it is unhelpfulto dichotomize justice and care; we should aspire to just socialwork practice.     

State Social Work and Social Citizenship in Britain: From Clientelism to Consumerism

Correspondence to John Harris, University of Warwick, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. E-mail: J.Harris{at}warwick.ac.uk Summary Marshall's formulation of ‘social citizenship’ embodieda depoliticized understanding of what was seen as a given, progressiveand irreversible stage of societal development, which encompassedthe provision of state social work. A consequence of this approachwas the failure to situate social citizenship in a specificpolitical and policy context; in Marshall's case, the post-warBritish social democratic welfare state. Within this, a morecentral position was secured for state social work, throughits unification and incorporation into bureau-professional regimeswhich were made responsible for responding to citizens' socialneeds as clients of the state. The New Right's attack on theinstitutionalization of social citizenship in bureau-professionalregimes included the accusation that state social work had infringedservice users' rights and produced a passive, dependent clientele.The New Right's alternative formulation of the ‘consumer-citizen’led to the development of a new political consensus on socialcitizenship. Beginning from an acceptance of this consensus,procedural rights are seen as one way of extending social citizenshipin state social work and as a precursor to the possibility ofwider participation by service users in its provision.     

Marginalized Children as Social Actors for Social Justice in South Asia

Correspondence to: Claire O'Kane, C/o Save the Children Norway, GPO Box 3394, Jawalakhel, Kathmandu, Nepal. Summary This contribution highlights the role that marginalized girlsand boys are themselves playing in varied contexts in SouthAsia to challenge inequalities and discrimination to ensurethat the rights of all children are realized. Notions of rightsare inextricably linked to the concept of social justice whichis concerned with equality, needs and entitlements. Whilst highlightingthe role of children and young people as social actors and activecitizens, this paper also explores broader contextual and discourseissues concerning social work practice, social justice and childrights in South Asia. Case examples and ethnographic materialfrom South Asia are shared. Furthermore, the changing natureand roles of social workers and development workers when enablingchildren's own protagonism are reflected upon, and lessons drawnfor social and community work practice and policy developmentin different parts of the world.     

Social Work and the Justice Model

Summary Three sets of ideas, which I am calling justice, welfare, andcommunity approaches interact in the criminal justice systemsof England and Scotland. Social workers are usually most influencedby a welfare approach but this approach is always in dangerof becoming arbitrary. The essential values of a welfare approachmight in fact be strengthened by introducing from the justiceapproach ways of structuring discretion. This idea will be examinedin relation to juvenile justice and parole where compulsorypowers back the application of welfare ideas. Ways of ensuringthat social work discretion is confined, structured and checkedwill be considered.     

Taking Rights Structurally: Disability, Rights and Social Worker Responses to Direct Payments

Correspondence to: Tim Stainton, School of Social Work and Family Studies, University of British Columbia, 2080 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z2. E-mail: timst{at}interchange.ubc.ca Summary This article examines the link between a justice and rightsdiscourse and disability policy and practice. Specifically,it considers social worker responses to direct payments, a policywhich has been linked to a discourse of social justice and rights.The article initially considers the nature of justice and rights,arguing that these can plausibly be seen to be grounded in theidea of autonomy and that a rights or justice based social policyand practice must be grounded in the protection, enhancementand development of the capacity for autonomous action. The articlethen presents partial findings of a research project, whichsampled social workers' views and attitudes towards direct paymentsin three local authorities. The findings suggest that socialworkers are aware of the link between direct payments and autonomyand are generally very supportive of the move to a rights basedapproach to policy and practice as evidenced by programmes suchas direct payments. The paper also concludes that structuralconstraints limit social workers' ability to fully functionfrom a rights based approach to disability.     

Administrative Justice and Charging for Long-term Care

Correspondence to Greta Bradley, School of Nursing, Social Work and Applied Health Studies, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, UK. E-mail: M.E.Bradley{at}hull.ac.uk Summary Drawing on the findings of a study in the area of charging forlong-term care for older people, this article makes links betweenperceptions and practices of local authority professionals andthe concept of administrative justice. The research revealedthat discretion was exercised at all levels, although not allstaff were aware of this. Cases may be treated differently andaccidents of geography, local political culture or personnelare likely to affect the outcome of financial assessments ofadults. The implications of this work remain timely since meanstested assessment of personal care and residency costs lookset to continue in England and Wales.     

The Life and Death of the Care Order (Criminal)

Professor Robert Harris, Department of Social Policy and Professional Studies. The University of Hull. Hull, HU6 7RX. Summary This paper traces the life history of the care order (criminal)from its inception in the 1969 Children and Young Persons Actto its abolition in the 1989 Children Act. It is argued thatthe care order (criminal) is a microcosm of the central ambiguityof the juvenile justice system, and that its history accordinglymirrors that of juvenile justice itself. An empirical studyis then reported which demonstrates that the role of the provisionsince 1983 has been complex, but that it has catered for threedistinct groups of offenders, of whom only one poses a policyproblem. The ‘residence requirement’ solution tothis problem in the 1989 Children Act is welcomed as havinga better chance of sustaining the different tasks of the juvenilejustice system.     

Juvenile Justice, Social Work and Social Control. The Need for Positive Thinking

Summary This paper has a two-fold purpose. Firstly, it suggests thatan examination of current trends in the juvenile justice systemof England and Wales sustains the viewpoint that there has been,during the last decade, a considerable increase in the degreeof surveillance and coercion of large sections of the youthpopulation. Secondly, it attempts to outline a positive rolefor social work professionals working in the juvenile justicesystem which may help to counter these tendencies and reconceptualisegeneral thinking on problems of youth crime and juvenile justicepenology.     

The Impact of New Labour Health Policy on Social Services: A New Deal for Service Users' Health?

Summary The health policies of the Labour Government of 1997–2001included an increased emphasis on social services departments'(SSDs) contribution to promoting health. Three dimensions ofthis policy shift are discussed: first, the drive towards organisationalfusion between elements of the NHS and SSDs; second, the newmechanisms for conjoint funding of health and social services;and, finally, the new policy focus on tackling health inequalitiesby combating social inequalities on a national and localitybasis. In each case, the touchstone of our analysis is the consequencesfor the health and well-being of SSD service users as membersof socially disadvantaged groups. We conclude that New Labourhas taken some steps, particularly reducing child poverty, whichwill have long lasting health and social benefits for actualand potential service users. However, inadequate funding ofSSDs undermines their effectiveness as a partner in integratedhealth and social care. As signalled by service user initiatives,SSDs potential for promoting more equal chances of health andwell-being in ill-health will also not be realised without substantialchanges to current SSD policy and practice.     

Social Work and Social Justice in Northern Ireland: Towards a New Occupational Space

Correspondence to: Dr John Pinkerton, School of Social Work, Queens University Belfast, 7 Lennoxvale, Belfast BT9 5BY, Northern Ireland. E-mail j.pinkerton{at}qub.ac.uk Summary This article considers the concept of social justice by referenceto the experience of social work in Northern Ireland duringthe past forty years of communal, paramilitary and state violence.It notes the contested nature of the concept and its chequeredhistory within the professional ideology of social work generallyand its absence as a significant explanatory and motivationalconcept for social workers in Northern Ireland to date. It arguesthat in the emerging post-conflict situation social work asa profession needs to operationalize a view of social justicethat acknowledges social and cultural diversity in order toredefine the profession itself and direct its relationship toboth the state and civil society.     

Managing Human Services in a Market Environment: What Role for Social Workers?

Correspondence to Karen Healy, Department of Social Work, Social Policy and Sociology, Building A26, University of Sydney 2006, New South Wales, Australia. Summary International research suggests that the market reform of humanservices is leading to reduced opportunities for social workersto achieve organizational management positions. This paper exploresthe future of social workers as managers of human service organizations.It examines the tensions between the social justice principlesthat guide social work and the emerging contexts of social welfaremanagement. The exploration draws on in-depth interviews withthirty-four social welfare managers working in the non-profitsector in Australia. These managers were identified by theirpeers as progressive, that is, as championing social justicevalues such as access, equity and social inclusion. This paperwill report on their approaches to social welfare managementand their perceptions of the threats and opportunities for progressivemanagement practices in a climate of public sector reform. Thepaper will consider how social work educators can better prepareservice professionals for social welfare management positions.