Warner, Joanne (2021) Social work legitimacy: democratising research, policy and practice in child protection. The British Journal of Social Work, 51 (4). pp. 1168-1185. ISSN 0045-3102. (doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcab021) (KAR id:86734)
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcab021 |
Abstract
This paper analyses the concept of legitimacy as applied to the use of power in statutory social work with children and families in the UK. It draws on literature from police studies and criminology, in which the concept is a stable one that continues to be heavily researched and analysed. Police and social workers bear comparison in respect of legitimacy because of the significant powers they use on behalf of the state with direct implications for the civil and human rights of their fellow citizens. The paper defines legitimacy in theoretical terms before applying the concept to social work. Here, perceptions of fairness in the distribution of resources, the quality of treatment people receive, and the quality of decision-making are critically examined. The paper then proposes a democratising agenda across the three domains of social work research, policy, and practice. Through challenging social work’s legitimacy and analysing its relationship to social democracy, it is argued that new ways may be found to realign practice with the values of human rights and social justice that are said to underpin the profession. Given the severe socioeconomic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on many families, these questions acquire a particular urgency.
Item Type: | Article |
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DOI/Identification number: | 10.1093/bjsw/bcab021 |
Uncontrolled keywords: | Child protection, deliberative research, democracy, inequality, legitimacy, risk |
Subjects: | H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) |
Divisions: | Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research |
Depositing User: | Jo Warner |
Date Deposited: | 23 Feb 2021 11:56 UTC |
Last Modified: | 05 Nov 2024 12:52 UTC |
Resource URI: | https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/86734 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes) |
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