The street-level delivery of activation policies: constraints and possibilities for a practice of citizenship

Nothdurfter, Urban

doi:10.1080/13691457.2015.1137869

Cited by 53 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This means that social workers less often believe that the unemployed could get jobs if they were willing to work, or that they receive benefits to which they are not entitled (Kallio, Blomberg, & Kroll, 2013). Nevertheless, advocates for social work as a referential model for activation work consider the contradictions between core social work values and emphasis on activation work as a strength for the professionalisation project of social work (Lorenz, 2006;Nothdurfter, 2016). Lorenz (2006) argued that negotiations of various considerations and tensions (e.g., private needs vs. public issues) and a reflexive and critical stance towards policies in highly ambiguous areas is one of the primary characteristics of the social work professional activity throughout its history.…”

Section: Social Workers' Labour Market Competencymentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Frontline workers' competency in activation work

Sadeghi

Fekjær

2018

Int J Soc Welfare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Frontline workers play a crucial role in implementing activation policies. Nevertheless, research on what competencies are required for activation work is limited. We explored activation competency based on a survey of 1,735 frontline workers in the Norwegian labour and welfare administration. Factor analysis revealed two distinct underlying dimensions in activation competency: market competency and user‐oriented competency. We found that the social workers in the study viewed themselves as having significantly less market competency and slightly more user‐oriented competency than non‐social workers have, but the differences were small. The results also indicate that these effects are partially mediated by attitudes towards conditionality. The results give reason to treat activation competencies as twofold and raise the question of whether social work education improves frontline workers' competency in activation work compared with frontline workers with other educational backgrounds.

show abstract

Section: Social Workers' Labour Market Competencymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Frontline workers have a crucial role in implementing and delivering these welfare policies (Nothdurfter, 2016;van Berkel & van der Aa, 2012). Activation competency is therefore a key area of expertise and a valuable competency among frontline workers seeking to improve service delivery.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frontline workers' competency in activation work

Sadeghi

Fekjær

2018

Int J Soc Welfare

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Particularly as regards access, many authors point out that street‐level bureaucrats have to create routines and ways to avoid dilemmas such as facing increasing demands and cuts in resources, while remaining faithful to their professional ethos (Dunér & Nordström, ; Hjörne et al, ). As Nothdurfter points out, this discretionary power has been portrayed in literature “both as a problem and as a necessity” (Nothdurfter, , p. 422). From a top down perspective, street‐level discretionary power is seen as distorting social policies and as something that should be controlled by managers with standardized procedures.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Access to social services as a rite of integration: Power, rights, and identity

2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Access to social services is a multifaceted and multifactorial process, involving social policy lines, services organization, and professional front line practices. It appears to have a crucial role in how personal social services work: depending on the way the process is handled, access to social services could provide a bridge to an inclusive and solidarizing community or worsen discrimination and marginalization. Many underline how studying the actual encounters between citizens and practitioners can provide a privileged site to highlight the interconnections between the abovementioned factors. This is the focus of our research that explored access in a specific Italian region using a case study strategy. After a pilot study, the main points of access to social services were identified, and three units were selected as best examples of different approaches. The three units were explored using mainly qualitative methods inspired by ethnography. We were able to gain in depth understanding of three cultural approaches to access, defined as the “ethical duty,” the “good organization,” and the “professional approach” and reach an in‐depth understanding of their impact on access. There is a vast literature on the power of street‐level bureaucrats, seen as similar to gatekeepers. However, our research suggests that specific organizational cultures also play an important part: different organizational cultures may impact the implementation of local social policy, the organizational procedures, and social workers' practices.

show abstract

“…Aangezien sociaal professionals in veel gevallen voor organisaties werken, zijn ook competenties als "organisational professional" (Evetts, 2009) Verschillende onderzoeken laten zien dat uitvoerders dergelijke sturing in belangrijke mate laten meebepalen waarom zij werk uitvoeren zoals ze dat doen (May & Winter, 2007;Nothdurfter, 2016;Nybom, 2011;Thorén, 2008). Hoewel dit kan worden geïnterpreteerd als "onprofessioneel handelen" (niet de professionele standaard geeft dan immers doorslag, maar de bureaucratische norm), kan ook gesteld worden dat hedendaagse professionals er niet aan ontkomen om ook vaardig te worden in de omgang met (en beïnvloeding van) dergelijke sturing om kwetsbare burgers succesvol te kunnen ondersteunen.…”

Section: E W E D E R K E R I G H E I D S P U Z Z E Lunclassified

“…De vraag is echter of dit niet een te smalle benadering van professioneel handelen en professionalisering van dit werkveld betreft. Deze smalle invulling sluit zoals recent onderzoek laat zien namelijk maar tot op zekere hoogte aan bij de vraagstukken waar uitvoerders in hun dagelijkse werk feitelijk tegenaan lopen (Nothdurfter, 2016;Nybom, 2011;Polstra, 2011;Riccucci, 2005 Deze wijze van kijken naar professioneel handelen bouwt voort op auteurs die meerdere "dimensies" onderscheiden binnen professioneel handelen (Epstein & Hundert, 2002;Ghanem, Kollar, Fisher, Lawson & Pankofer, 2016;Spierts, 2014;Van Ewijk, 2014), zoals het kunnen toepassen én ontwikkelen van kennis op basis van wetenschappelijke en praktijkinzichten, het samenwerken met anderen, het omgaan met belangentegenstellingen en het omgaan met sturing vanuit beleid en organisatie. Daarnaast sluit deze uitwerking aan bij auteurs die leren en reflexiviteit als belangrijk aspecten van professioneel handelen en professionalisering beschouwen (Otto, Polutta & Ziegler, 2009;Schön, 1983).…”

unclassified

Professioneel handelen als puzzelen in de uitvoering van arbeidsactivering

2017

JSI

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A B S T R A C T Professional agency as "puzzling over" the delivery of activation servicesThe rise of active social policies has strengthened the call for a new type of social professional in the Netherlands. Professionals are expected to focus more on stimulating the labour market participation of vulnerable groups. Improving the quality and effectiveness of their professional services is high on the agenda, partially as a result of the disappointing results of activation policies, which aim to promote the labour market inclusion of vulnerable unemployed groups receiving social benefits. In this professional field, various initiatives have been launched in recent years to promote the "professionalization" of the street-level workers who deliver activation services. This paper questions the dominant underlying conceptualization of effective professional agency that underlies many of these initiatives and proposes an alternative conceptualization which can be used in research in relation to professional agency as well as to improve activation practice.The quintessence of the dominant conceptualization of successful professional agency lies in the thoughtful use of evidence-based methods. According to this perspective, evidence is derived from In this paper, however, it is argued that this conceptualization does not do justice to the fact that in real day-to-day practice, street-level workers are confronted with complex issues and dilemmas which cannot be solved by applying evidence-based methods alone. Based on existing research into these practices, it is argued that professionals face at least five types of issues which complicate their work:1. The Dutch labour market is developing in a way which makes access to work increasingly difficult for vulnerable groups. Moreover, at the lower end of the labour market on which these groups mostly depend, the quality of available employment is deteriorating in terms of both remuneration and job security. In this context, finding viable routes into inclusive employment is far from easy, both for unemployed persons as well as for professionals; 2. The most vulnerable groups often face other problems besides unemployment. How to deliver effective, integrated professional services that address all these problems is still unclear.However, it is very likely that focusing on unemployment alone is not sufficient to achieve lasting outcomes; 3. Social inclusion through employment is not only about servicing the unemployed, but also about creating opportunities for employers and their companies. Achieving reciprocity between employer and unemployed is complicated but a necessary condition in order for professionals to succeed; 4. Professionals work within a broader organizational context, structured by policies and managerial choices. This context influences what they can and will do, regardless of their mastery of effective methods; 5. Even if evidence-based working is considered the best professional standard, workers in the field of activation have to deal with a far from compr...

show abstract

The street-level delivery of activation policies: constraints and possibilities for a practice of citizenship

Cited by 53 publications

References 46 publications

Frontline workers' competency in activation work

Frontline workers' competency in activation work

Access to social services as a rite of integration: Power, rights, and identity

Professioneel handelen als puzzelen in de uitvoering van arbeidsactivering

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About