| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© British Association of Social Workers
Risk, Advanced Liberalism and Child Welfare: The Need to Rediscover Uncertainty and Ambiguity1
Nigel Parton is Professor in Child Care at the University of Huddersfield. His recent publications include (as editor) Social Theory, Social Change and Social Work, (London, Routledge, 1996): (as editor) Child Protection and Fanuly Support: Tensions, Contradictions and Possibilities (London, Routledge, 1997) and (with David Thorpe and Corinne Wattam) Child Protection: Risk and the Moral Order (Basingstoke, Macmillan, 1997).
Correspondence to Professor Nigel Parton, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield HD1 3DH.
Summary
The purpose of this paper is to analyse and reflect upon the current state of child welfare policy and practice and how this has changed over recent times. In the process it aims to make a contribution to the current debates on ‘the refocusing of children's services’. A central part of the argument is that new strategies have emerged which do not have as their central focus either meeting the needs of children or responding to child abuse, but the assessment and management of risk. In selecting such a focus, such developments are in danger of overlooking a central characteristic of policy and practice in terms of the pervasiveness of uncertainty and ambiguity. Not only do these characteristics need to be reorganized, but they need to be built on in order to take our thinking and practices forward.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  A. Ritchie and R. Woodward Changing Lives: Critical reflections on the social work change programme for Scotland Critical Social Policy, August 1, 2009; 29(3): 510 - 532. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P. Tham and G. Meagher Working in Human Services: How Do Experiences and Working Conditions in Child Welfare Social Work Compare? Br. J. Soc. Work, July 1, 2009; 39(5): 807 - 827. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Dominelli and M. Holloway Ethics and Governance in Social Work Research in the UK Br. J. Soc. Work, July 1, 2008; 38(5): 1009 - 1024. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Pollack Labelling Clients 'Risky': Social Work and the Neo-liberal Welfare State Br. J. Soc. Work, May 30, 2008; (2008) bcn079v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Donoghue Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) in Britain: Contextualizing Risk and Reflexive Modernization Sociology, April 1, 2008; 42(2): 337 - 355. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. Biehal Preventive Services for Adolescents: Exploring the Process of Change Br. J. Soc. Work, April 1, 2008; 38(3): 444 - 461. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
N. Parton Changes in the Form of Knowledge in Social Work: From the 'Social' to the 'Informational'? Br. J. Soc. Work, February 1, 2008; 38(2): 253 - 269. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Dickens Welfare, Law and Managerialism: Inter-discursivity and Inter-professional Practice in Child Care Social Work Journal of Social Work, January 1, 2008; 8(1): 45 - 64. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Ruch Reflective Practice in Contemporary Child-care Social Work: The Role of Containment Br. J. Soc. Work, June 1, 2007; 37(4): 659 - 680. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
H. D'Cruz, P. Gillingham, and S. Melendez Reflexivity, its Meanings and Relevance for Social Work: A Critical Review of the Literature Br. J. Soc. Work, January 1, 2007; 37(1): 73 - 90. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. M. Lam, H. Wong, and T. T. F. Leung An Unfinished Reflexive Journey: Social Work Students' Reflection on their Placement Experiences Br. J. Soc. Work, January 1, 2007; 37(1): 91 - 105. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Banks and R. Williams Accounting for Ethical Difficulties in Social Welfare Work: Issues, Problems and Dilemmas Br. J. Soc. Work, October 1, 2005; 35(7): 1005 - 1022. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Williams and H. Soydan When and How Does Ethnicity Matter? A Cross-National Study of Social Work Responses to Ethnicity in Child Protection Cases Br. J. Soc. Work, September 1, 2005; 35(6): 901 - 920. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
B. Littlechild The Stresses Arising from Violence, Threats and Aggression Against Child Protection Social Workers Journal of Social Work, April 1, 2005; 5(1): 61 - 82. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 G. Cradock Risk, Morality, and Child Protection: Risk Calculation as Guides to Practice Science Technology Human Values, July 1, 2004; 29(3): 314 - 331. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Skehill Social Work in the Republic of Ireland: A History of the Present Journal of Social Work, August 1, 2003; 3(2): 141 - 159. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K. Stalker Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Social Work: A Literature Review Journal of Social Work, August 1, 2003; 3(2): 211 - 233. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Scourfield and I. Welsh Risk, Reflexivity and Social Control in Child Protection: New Times or same Old Story? Critical Social Policy, August 1, 2003; 23(3): 398 - 420. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. C. Humphrey New Labour and the regulatory reform of social care Critical Social Policy, February 1, 2003; 23(1): 5 - 24. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. G. Khoo, U. Hyvonen, and L. Nygren Child Welfare or Child Protection: Uncovering Swedish and Canadian Orientations to Social Intervention in Child Maltreatment Qualitative Social Work, December 1, 2002; 1(4): 451 - 471. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. LITTLECHILD The Effects of Client Violence on Child-Protection Networks Trauma Violence Abuse, April 1, 2002; 3(2): 144 - 158. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. Smith The Sequestration of Experience: Rights Talk and Moral Thinking in `Late Modernity' Sociology, February 1, 2002; 36(1): 43 - 66. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|