| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
British Journal of Social Work (2004) 34, 53-68
© BASW Trading Ltd 2004 all rights reserved
Service Users and Practitioners Reunited: The Key Component for Social Work Reform
Peter Beresford is Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Centre for Citizen Participation at Brunel University. He is also Visiting Fellow at the School for Social Work and Psycho-social sciences at the University of East Anglia. He is a long-term user of mental health services. He is also Chair of Shaping Our Lives, the national user controlled organization corefunded by the Department of Health. His particular area of interest is citizen participation in public policy and the development of emancipatory research approaches.
Suzy Croft is a qualified and practising social worker at St John’s Hospice, London. She is also a member of the Editorial Collective of Critical Social Policy and a Trustee of Help The Hospices. She is a Research Fellow at Brunel University. Her particular areas of interest are citizen participation in public policy and the involvement of palliative care service users. She has written widely on participation and empowerment.
Correspondence to Professor Peter Beresford, Centre for Citizen Participation, Brunel University, Osterley Campus, Borough Road, Osterley, Middlesex, TW7 5DU, UK. E-mail: peter.beresford{at}brunel.ac.uk or Suzy Croft, Senior Social Worker, St John's Hospice, 60 Grove End Road, London, NW8 9NH, UK. E-mail: suzy.croft{at}hje.org.uk
Summary
This article explores the pressures towards both regulatory and liberatory social work. It identifies a range of factors operating to push social work in each direction. It discusses the key significance for more liberatory social work of the roles and engagement of social work practitioners and service users. Highlighting four key characteristics in the current political and policy context of social work: ambiguity, uncertainty, complexity and contradiction, it argues that social work is unlikely to develop a more emancipatory role, unless social work practitioners gain more support to play a central role in its construction and develop much closer links and alliances with service users and their organizations and movements.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  R. Strier and S. Binyamin Developing Anti-Oppressive Services for the Poor: A Theoretical and Organisational Rationale Br. J. Soc. Work, November 14, 2009; (2009) bcp122v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Turbett Tensions in the Delivery of Social Work Services in Rural and Remote Scotland Br. J. Soc. Work, April 1, 2009; 39(3): 506 - 521. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Hussein, J. Moriarty, J. Manthorpe, and P. Huxley Diversity and Progression among Students Starting Social Work Qualifying Programmes in England between 1995 and 1998: A Quantitative Study Br. J. Soc. Work, December 1, 2008; 38(8): 1588 - 1609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
P. Beresford, S. Croft, and L. Adshead 'We Don't See Her as a Social Worker': A Service User Case Study of the Importance of the Social Worker's Relationship and Humanity Br. J. Soc. Work, October 1, 2008; 38(7): 1388 - 1407. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Hernandez, P. Robson, and A. Sampson Towards Integrated Participation: Involving Seldom Heard Users of Social Care Services Br. J. Soc. Work, September 9, 2008; (2008) bcn118v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. A. Webb Modelling Service User Participation in Social Care Journal of Social Work, July 1, 2008; 8(3): 269 - 290. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. Strier Anti-Oppressive Research in Social Work: A Preliminary Definition Br. J. Soc. Work, July 1, 2007; 37(5): 857 - 871. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Moriarty and J. Murray Who Wants to be a Social Worker? Using Routine Published Data to Identify Trends in the Numbers of People Applying for and Completing Social Work Programmes in England Br. J. Soc. Work, June 1, 2007; 37(4): 715 - 733. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Carr Participation, power, conflict and change: Theorizing dynamics of service user participation in the social care system of England and Wales Critical Social Policy, May 1, 2007; 27(2): 266 - 276. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Wilson and M. Daly Shaping the Future of Mental Health Policy and Legislation in Northern Ireland: The Impact of Service User and Professional Social Work Discourses Br. J. Soc. Work, April 1, 2007; 37(3): 423 - 439. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Hochfeld Missed opportunities: Conservative discourses in the draft National Family Policy of South Africa International Social Work, January 1, 2007; 50(1): 79 - 91. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Postle and P. Beresford Capacity Building and the Reconception of Political Participation: A Role for Social Care Workers? Br. J. Soc. Work, January 1, 2007; 37(1): 143 - 158. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
I. Ferguson and M. Lavalette Globalization and global justice: Towards a social work of resistance International Social Work, May 1, 2006; 49(3): 309 - 318. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Heffernan Social Work, New Public Management and the Language of 'Service User' Br. J. Soc. Work, January 1, 2006; 36(1): 139 - 147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|