The implications of neoliberalism for social work: Reflections from a six-country international research collaboration

Spolander, Gary; Engelbrecht, Lambert K.; Martin, Linda; Strydom, Marianne; Pervova, Irina; Marjanen, Päivi; Tani, Petri; Sicora, Alessandro; Adaikalam, Francis

doi:10.1177/0020872814524964

Cited by 117 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…This lack of critical reflection and anti-oppressive action with regard to the self and others, has been revealed in Wilson and Kelly's (2010:11) findings too, where students felt powerless to counteract oppression and they had been 'in a tenuous position' of accepting oppressive agency and institutional policies. Such findings in times of oppression, where neo-liberal policies dominate in the Western context (Preston and Aslett, 2014;Reisch, 2013;Spolander et al, 2014), and South-East Europe faces extreme debt crises and inequalities rise, reveal a number of implications for social work education.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social work education in a time of national crisis in Greece: educating the workforce to combat inequalities

Dedotsi

Young

Broadhurst

2016

European Journal of Social Work

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Since 2010, Greece has experienced an unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis, which continues to have tremendous social impact. Austerity measures and policy cuts have included a dis-investment in social work and social care and more recently the abolition of one of the four national Social Work Departments providing qualifying social work education. In this context, this study addresses the following question: how does prequalifying social work education in Greece influence students' ability to manage value tensions in relation to anti-oppressive practice? Using a case study methodology, the research was based in one Social Work Department (subsequently abolished). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews from social work students at the beginning and the end of their professional education (n=32) and once from academic staff/placement supervisors (n=10). Data were analysed drawing on grounded theory techniques. In this paper only one particular dataset is considered in detail: the attitudes and experiences of final year students.The main findings indicate students' narrow understandings and individualistic approaches towards oppression, reflecting an urgent need to redefine social work education and practice in Greece according to current social justice concerns. Specifically, social work education needs to give greater weight to a structural perspective on the dynamics of oppression. 2Although focussed on Greece, the paper offers a critical debate of contemporary relevance for social work education in many European nation states.Η Ελληνική κοινωνία βιώνει από το 2010 μια άνευ προηγουμένου οικονομική και ανθρωπιστική κρίση με τρομαχτικές κοινωνικές επιπτώσεις. Τα μέτρα λιτότητας και οι περικοπές σε κρατικές πολιτικές, συμπεριέλαβαν την από-επένδυση από την κοινωνική πρόνοια και την κοινωνική εργασία, με πιο πρόσφατη την κατάργηση ενός από τα τέσσερα Τμήματα Κοινωνικής Εργασίας στην Ελλάδα. Υπό αυτές τις συνθήκες, το ερώτημα της συγκεκριμένης μελέτης είναι: Ποιος είναι ο ρόλος της εκπαίδευσης στην κοινωνική εργασία στην Ελλάδα, αναφορικά με την ικανότητα των φοιτητών να διαχειριστούν συγκρούσεις αξιών σχετικά με την αντι-καταπιεστική προσέγγιση; Χρησιμοποιώντας τη μέθοδο της μελέτη περίπτωσης, η έρευνα βασίστηκε σε ένα Τμήμα Κοινωνικής Εργασίας (στη συνέχεια καταργήθηκε). Τα δεδομένα συλλέχθηκαν μέσω ημι-δομημένων συνεντεύξεων από τους φοιτητές κοινωνικής εργασίας στην αρχή και το τέλος της εκπαίδευσής τους (n = 32) και το ακαδημαϊκό προσωπικό/επόπτες πλαισίων πρακτικής άσκησης (n = 10). Τα δεδομένα αναλύθηκαν με τη χρήση τεχνικών της θεμελιωμένης θεωρίας. Σε αυτό το άρθρο μόνο ένα μέρος των αποτελεσμάτων από τις συνεντεύξεις θα συζητηθεί: οι συμπεριφορές και οι εμπειρίες των τελειόφοιτων φοιτητών. Τα αποτελέσματα, αποκάλυψαν απλοϊκές αντιλήψεις και στερεοτυπικές πεποιθήσεις των τελειόφοιτων ως προς την καταπίεση, αναδεικνύοντας την ανάγκη για επαναπροσδιορισμό της εκπαίδευσης και άσκησης της κοινωνικής εργασίας στην Ελλάδα, ανάλογα με τις σύγχρονες κοινωνικές ανάγκες και μια πιο δ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social work education in a time of national crisis in Greece: educating the workforce to combat inequalities

Dedotsi

Young

Broadhurst

2016

European Journal of Social Work

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“…The impact of globalisation on social welfare in the world has been explored by several authors: globally (see Ife, 2000;Midgley, 2004;Spolander, Engelbrecht, Martin, Strydom, Pervova, Marjanen, Tani, Sicora & Adaikalam, 2014) and also within a South African context (see Bond, 2005;Desai, 2002;Hart, 2002;Sewpaul & Hölsher, 2004;Terreblanche, 2002).…”

Section: The Impact Of Neoliberal Tenets On Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting the Esoteric Question: Can Non-Social Workers Manage and Supervise Social Workers?

Engelbrecht

2015

Social Work

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A dilution, and eventual denigration, of the social work profession, such as through the practice of social workers being managed by non-social workers, can increasingly be traced to neoliberal utterances and resultant managerial discourses. Social workers may unwittingly be contributing to the handover of management practices to non-social workers. This paper outlines the reasons for the tension between general management and social work management, presents a conceptualisation of social work management and supervision, and examines the impact of the global neoliberal discourse and resultant managerial tenets on social work in the South African context.

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“…At the same time, social work is being transformed by marketisation, managerialism (Ferguson, 2017), evidence-based practice, and New Public Management (Herz & Lalander, 2018;Kus, 2006;Wallace & Pease, 2011). Social work becomes vulnerable to co-optation for political aims that may disfavour the interests of marginalised groups in social welfare and public health regimes and therefore puts a constraint on a social worker's ability to provide ethically sound services (Kojan et al, 2018;Lundberg et al, 2018;Spolander et al, 2014;Strier & Bershtling, 2016). This causes confusion for service users as to the objective of social welfare and public health regimes; that is, whether services are truly user-centred or otherwise, leading to conditions that stir collective action among marginalised groups.…”

Section: Neoliberalisationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marginalised groups protest against social welfare and public health: conceptualising the challenge for social workers

Aaslund

Chear

2020

European Journal of Social Work

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As neoliberalisation and other global disruptions change the understanding of human rights and social justice for social workers, how are protests organised by marginalised groups against social welfare and public health regimes understood and participated, or even resisted, by social workers? Although there is a vast literature on protest and community organising in the social work tradition, there is less exploration of marginalised groups organising against the systems in which social workers are employed, thereby leading to dilemmas for social workers. Hence, more knowledge is necessary about social workers' capability to respond to such protests. Using collective action and social movement theories, this paper introduces a conceptual framework in order to identify key factors and variables when marginalised groups organise against social welfare and public health regimes and social workers are involved. The conceptual framework concerns social workers' value negotiation of human rights and social justice principles, collective action framing, ethical decision-making, and ultimately, the thought process behind a social worker's response to collective actions against social welfare and public health regimes. SAMMENDRAG Nyliberalisme og andre globale utfordringer endrer forståelsen av menneskerettigheter og sosial rettferdighet for sosialarbeidere. Hvordan blir protest fra marginaliserte grupper mot velferds-eller folkehelseregimer forstått og deltatt i-eller også motarbeidet-av sosialarbeidere? Tross omfattende litteratur om protest og samfunnsarbeid i sosialt arbeid, er marginaliserte grupper som organiserer seg mot systemene sosialarbeidere er ansatt iog dilemmaene dette fører til for sosialarbeiderelite utforsket. Derfor er det behov for mer kunnskap om sosialarbeideres muligheter til å svare på slike protester. Artikkelen bygger på teorier om sosiale bevegelser og kollektiv handling, og introduserer et begrepsmessig rammeverk for å identifisere sentrale faktorer

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The implications of neoliberalism for social work: Reflections from a six-country international research collaboration

Cited by 117 publications

References 46 publications

Social work education in a time of national crisis in Greece: educating the workforce to combat inequalities

Social work education in a time of national crisis in Greece: educating the workforce to combat inequalities

Revisiting the Esoteric Question: Can Non-Social Workers Manage and Supervise Social Workers?

Marginalised groups protest against social welfare and public health: conceptualising the challenge for social workers

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