10. Democratizing social work. From New Public Management to democratic professionalism

2013 ◽  
pp. 161-178 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
New Public

scholarly journals Supervision: A force for change? Three stories told

2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 773-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greta Bradley ◽  
Lambert Engelbrecht ◽  
Staffan Höjer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Child Welfare ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
New Public

Drawing on research, we contextualize social work and describe the role of supervisors in child welfare settings in South Africa, England and Sweden. Exploratory frameworks and models of supervision illustrate how it has been influenced by principles of New Public Management and the concluding discussion proposes an agenda for change.

scholarly journals New public management and information communication technology: Organisational influences on frontline child protection practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Webster ◽  
David McNabb
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
New Public ◽  
Key Aspects

In this paper the authors examine the new public management (NPM) philosophy influencing the organisational environment in which child protection social workers are located. NPM prioritises outputs through policies, such as results based accountability (RBA) predicated on the expectation that responsibility to achieve designated programme outcomes is sheeted to the agency and its workers. Ongoing funding depends on programme results.NPM ideology assumes that workers and managers in agencies tasked with delivering care and protection services are able to control the variables influencing outputs which contribute to outcomes. The authors will analyse four key aspects of NPM thinking (RBA, outputs, outcomes and key performance indicators) and explore their organisational consequences. The influence on social work practice of information and communications technology (ICT), on which NPM depends, is also considered.The paper is not an ideologically based rejection of NPM, but rather an assessment of its consequences for care and protection practice. The authors call for a return to the centrality of relationally based social work processes embodied in common factors (CF) practice, such as the therapeutic alliance. We argue that CF approaches offer a contrasting and more appropriate practice philosophy than NPM thinking while still enabling achievable, multifaceted organisational benefits.

New Public Management, migrant professionals and labour mobility: possibilities for social justice social work?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna Baines
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Social Work Practice ◽  
Study Data ◽  
New Public ◽  
Unpaid Labour

Social work labour is increasingly mobile and global, as are neoliberal policy and management models such as New Public Management. These global processes overlap with local contexts to create and limit possibilities for social-justice-directed social work practice. Drawing on qualitative case study data collected in Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand, this chapter: 1) briefly sketches the history of colonialism and immigration that shaped, and shape, these four countries; 2) discusses the standardising influence of New Public Management and managerialism on social work practice possibilities in the four countries; analyses, in particular, the increasing use of immigrant ‘volunteer’ labour and other forms of unpaid labour, including student placements and internships, as a response to ongoing under-funding of social services and policies of ‘permanent’ austerity; and 3) explores implications for practice and possibilities for liberatory social work practice.

scholarly journals Organizational Professionalism: Social Workers Negotiating Tools of NPM

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e2381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nanna Mik-Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Meaningful Work ◽  
Welfare Recipient ◽  
Social Work Values ◽  
New Public ◽  
Treatment Facilities ◽  
The Individual

This article examines how social workers and managers perceive meaningful work and expertise in six care and treatment facilities in Denmark. Based on 29 interviews with social workers (n=22) and managers (n=7), the article shows how New Public Management-inspired tools such as scoring schemas align with social work values such as “client-centeredness” and working with the individual welfare recipient face-to-face. The article finds that fitting social work into organizational schemas changes the work practices of social workers and also the way members of this profession define meaningful work and expertise. In addition, the article also finds that scoring schemas cause conflicts among social workers regarding the character of expertise when values of social work (to meet a welfare recipient’s need) must be aligned with NPM-inspired values of organizations (to meet managers’ demand for documentation).

scholarly journals La mediación comunitaria y/o vecinal: un aporte a la democratización social y un nuevo espacio para el trabajo social de comunidad

2016 ◽  
pp. 221
Author(s):  
Estela Adasme Calisto ◽  
Christian Quinteros Flores Quinteros Flores
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
New Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Politica Publica ◽  
Trabajo Social ◽  
Good Resource

La técnica de la mediación se ha ampliado en Chile desde espacios tradicionales como el escolar o el familiar, a otros espacios menos habituales como el laboral e incluso el comunitario o vecinal. Sin embargo, en este último ámbito, su utilización en Chile hoy es muy incipiente y reviste desafíos a la institucionalidad y a quienes la operan en el marco de la nueva gestión pública. Para el Trabajo Social –importante operador de la política pública y responsable de contribuir a la necesaria “democratización social”–, este tipo de mediación puede constituir un buen recurso o bien público al momento de fortalecer el tejido social, además que le permite aprovechar la expertise de la formación recibida por este profesional. Este artículo busca contextualizar sociohistóricamente la práctica de la mediación comunitaria en Chile, permitiendo explorar algunas oportunidades que presenta hoy este espacio para el Trabajo Social, en épocas de globalización.Palabras clave: Ciudadanía, Desarrollo Sinergético, Mediación Vecinal-Comunitaria, Trabajo Social de Comunidad.A mediação comunitária e/ou da vizinhança: uma contribuição para a democratização social e um novo espaço para o trabalho social de comunidadeA técnica de mediação tem se expandido no Chile desde espaços tradicionais, tais como a escola e a família, para outros espaços menos tradicionais, tais como o trabalho e até mesmo o comunitário ou vizinhança. No entanto, neste último aspecto, seu uso no Chile hoje é muito incipiente e reveste de desafios à institucionalidade e aqueles que operam no âmbitoda nova gestão pública. Para o Trabalho Social – importante operador dapolítica pública e responsável de contribuir a necessária “democratizaçãosocial” – este tipo de mediação pode se constituir num bom recurso ouBem público ao momento de fortalecer o tecido social, além do mais,que lhe permite aproveitar os conhecimentos da formação recebida poreste profissional. Este artigo visa contextualizar sociohistoricamente aprática da mediação comunitária no Chile, permitindo explorar algumasoportunidades que hoje apresenta este espaço para o trabalho Social emtempos de globalização.Palavras-chave: Cidadania, Desenvolvimento sinergético, MediaçãoVizinhança-Comunitária, Trabalho Social de Comunidade.Community and/or neighborhood mediation: Acontribution to social democracy and a new space forcommunity social workThe technique of mediation has expanded in Chile from traditional areassuch as school or family to other less traditional such as labor and eventhe community or neighborhood. However, the latter is very new in Chiletoday and imposes challenges to institutions and to those who operate itunder the new public management. For the Social Work – major operatorof public policy and responsible for contributing to the necessary “socialdemocracy” – this type of mediation can be a good resource to strengthenthe social fabric and leverage expertise of this professional training. Thisarticle is aimed to socio historically contextualize community mediationpractice in Chile exploring some opportunities today for social work inglobalization times.Keywords: Citizenship, synergistic development, neighborhood-communitymediation, community social work.  

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