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"Lymbery, Mark"
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Social Work and Personalisation
In the early years of the 21st century the policy of personalisation has been actively pursued across all four British countries. Drawing on the work of the disability movement, personalisation aims to increase the levels of choice and control for adult users of social care services. It suggests that much preceding practice has magnified individuals' dependency and constrained their choice. During implementation it has been suggested that social workers should move away from rationing towards advocacy and brokerage. This paper examines social work within personalisation from three perspectives. First it engages with those areas of policy that chime with social work principles and values. It then rehearses the elements of the reform agenda which are more questionable from the social work viewpoint. Finally it links the implementation of policy to the impact of substantial cuts in social care budgets as the effects of the Conservative-led coalition's austerity programme bite.
Journal Article
Social Work and Personalisation: Fracturing the Bureau-Professional Compact?
The policy of personalisation in adult social care was initially associated with the New Labour government. It was presented as a way of simultaneously ensuring the fuller engagement of service users and improving the quality and appropriateness of care outcomes while also being economically efficient. In the later stages of New Labour's period in government, local authorities were required to make positive steps to implement the policy, which it was claimed would 'transform' social care. However, the role that social work could play in this policy was never made explicit. Following the general election of 2010, a Conservative-led Coalition government was established. The Coalition subsequently announced that one of its overriding priorities was to reduce the deficit in public expenditure within a five-year period. This paper explores the implications of this for both service users and social workers by examining a number of related factors. It will begin by discussing the key features of personalisation including an identification of a number of ways in which the policy can be criticised. It will then focus on the continuing lack of clarity about the place of social work within these changes, before moving on to consider the impact of the austerity measures on service users and on social work. By examining the nature of British social work as a 'state-mediated'—and hence politically dominated—profession, the paper will argue that there is no certainty that social work will be considered as critical to a full implementation of the policy.
Journal Article
United We Stand? Partnership Working in Health and Social Care and the Role of Social Work in Services for Older People
The concepts of ‘partnership’ and ‘collaboration’ have become amongst the most critical themes of ‘new’ Labour’s social policy, particularly in respect of the delivery of health and social care. Although the terms are rarely precisely defined and hence have become problematic to analyse, in most understandings successful partnerships rely upon good systems of inter-professional collaboration. Through revisiting the extensive literature on the sociology of the professions, and the nature of inter-professional working, this paper will argue that effective collaborative working within health and social care is hard to achieve, particularly in the light of the vast differences in power and culture between various occupational groupings, and the inherently competitive nature of professions jostling for territory in the same areas of activity. It suggests that these issues cannot be resolved unless they are properly understood; a rhetorical appeal to the unmitigated benefits of ‘partnership’ alone will not produce more effective joint working. In addition, it notes that an appropriate role for social work in the context of partnership working has yet to be defined and proposes specific tasks and values that distinguish the social worker from other related professionals.
Journal Article
Social Work in the Context of Adult Social Care in England and the Resultant Implications for Social Work Education
The introduction of policies to transform adult social care, combined with scrutiny of social workers' roles and functions, has created considerable uncertainty about the future of social work with adults. This paper explores the implications of these policy changes, arguing that a number of dilemmas for practitioners—the balance between a preventative focus and tight budgets, autonomy and protection, safeguarding and capacity—will exist in the changed policy framework. In addition, it suggests that the various core functions of social work—assessment, advocacy and brokerage, safeguarding and capacity—also contain elements of conflict and incompatibility. As a result, the future of social work in this policy area runs a strong risk of becoming both fragmented and isolated. This could be reflected in the education requirements for social workers where, both historically and as a result of recent bitter experiences, the key priorities clearly relate to child protection rather than adult social care. To counter this, the paper suggests a number of core areas of practice that are common across social work, and that therefore continue to argue for the maintenance of a generic qualification. In addition, it specifies particular aspects of practice with adults that should continue to be highlighted.
Journal Article
Social Work at the Crossroads
The contribution of social work to society has always been contested. Social workers work with some of the most psychologically damaged and socially disadvantaged people, and are susceptible to public devaluing of the services they provide. Indeed, social work has been subjected to an ever‐increasing volume of public debate and criticism, and its claims to professional status are under threat. Recent years have seen a constant attack on its values and principles, which has taken place at political, organizational and professional levels. Social work practice has been subjected to increased managerial control and social workers' levels of autonomy have been reduced. This has created a sense of crisis, which has been experienced particularly within social services departments (SSDs), the main source of employment for social workers. The paper will argue that its survival as a recognizable professional activity is dependent on the extent to which it can redefine its role within society, and re‐establish clarity about its overall purpose and function.
Journal Article
Reconciling radicalism, relationship and role: priorities for social work with adults in England
The shift towards personalisation combined with budgetary cuts has challenged social work with adults in England and contributed to its marginalisation. Despite the apparent fit between the policy's requirements and social work's essential characteristics, the profession has had little role in its implementation. This article argues that there are numerous steps that social work can take to clarify its importance. First, exploring the radicalism of social work can confirm the fit between its core elements and the requirements of personalisation, particularly those that call for a transformation in the nature of society. Second, the relationship between the social worker and the service user can help to provide a focus for the exercise of radical practice possibilities. Third, considering the social worker's role allows us to question the extent to which they will be employed in positions that enable them to act according to the principles of radicalism and relational practice.
Journal Article