Modernising Social Work: Critical ConsiderationsHarris, John, White, Vicky New Labour's modernisation agenda has produced an avalanche of change that has posed formidable challenges for everyone involved in social work, whether as service users, practitioners or managers. Modernising Social Work provides a radical appraisal of the far-reaching changes in their theoretical, historical and policy contexts. The book is organised into three sections that consider: the inter-relationship of modernisation and managerialism, modernisation's impact on service users and the ways in which social workers and front-line managers seek to exercise professional discretion for the benefit of service users within a workplace culture of intensified scrutiny and control. Analysis of a range of key developments in all three areas reveals the modernisation agenda as complex and contested. The book's three sections cover the main issues of the modernisation agenda, making it ideal for teaching. Locating the issues in their theoretical, historical and policy contexts meets the needs of student readers and experienced social workers will appreciate the emphasis on empirical research as well as practice experience. |
Contents
two This is the modern world Working in a social services | 31 |
three Modernisation and the role of agency social workers | 51 |
four Customercitizenship in modernised social work | 67 |
partnership and participation in | 89 |
six Modernisation and the delivery of usercentred services | 107 |
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Common terms and phrases
adult Ageing and Society agency social workers agency workers approach assessment Audit Commission authorities Best Value bureau-professional Cabinet Office call centres Carey central challenges Chapter child protection children's services choice citizen Commission for Social concerns consumer consumerism consumerist contact centre context culture customer-citizens customer-citizenship Department of Health direct payments discretion e-government eligibility criteria emphasis example experience focus framework Harris Health and Social identified individual individualised involvement Labour Labour's modernisation agenda levels managerialism managerialist managers and practitioners modernised social needs neo-liberal older people's organisational parents participation partnership performance indicators performance management personalisation perspective private sector professional public sector public services quasi-market relationships resistance responsibility role Scourfield seen senior managers service users Social Care Inspection social care services social services Social Services Inspectorate social work practice staff statutory strategies targets University of Warwick welfare