Kenneth McLaughlin

From ridicule to institutionalization: anti-oppression, the state and social work:

Anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices are considered essential components of social work education and practice. This paper charts the rise and rationale for these initiatives, detailing the social and political factors that influenced their development and incorporation into the profession. The criticism of such measures from a variety of perspectives is also discussed. Whilst this was at times vitriolic and did affect policy, the claim that it constituted a backlash is contested. Influenced by a Marxist view of the state and Foucauldian insights into both the power of discourse and controlling aspects of the ‘helping professions’, it is argued that what were considered radical measures have now become institutionalized and in the process lost their original meaning. Anti-oppressive social work, rather than being a challenge to the state has allowed the state to reposition itself once again as a benign provider of welfare, and via the anti-oppressive social worker is able to enforce new moral codes of behaviour on the recipients of welfare.

Politicising the psychology of social class: The relevance of Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus for psychological research

In this article we discuss what Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of habitus can add to psychologically informed debates around social class. We argue that habitus offers a way of coming to terms with the complexity and different dimensions of social class. For Bourdieu, habitus conceptualises the internalisation of social structures, how the “outer” becomes the “inner.” This distinct psychological question is critical for Bourdieu’s “psychoanalysis of the social.” We argue that Bourdieu’s habitus ties in with psychologically informed views on classed existence, but can also function as a tool to further psychological studies by suggesting a broader focus and pointing to aspects that tend to be underrepresented in mainstream psychological research, and that are also difficult to dissect from a psychological vantage point. In particular, questions of structural (power) inequalities and their reproduction on a communal as well as on an individual level are at the core of Bourdieu’s habitus concept, but these are often absent from contemporary class analysis. Finally, we argue that for all its complexity, the habitus concept can inform research on a practical level by enabling exploration of the complexity and messiness of the classed nature of everyday experience.

Revisiting the public/private divide: Theoretical, political and personal implications of their unification

Social workers invariably find themselves working at the boundary of the public/private divide. Intervene too readily and they are liable to face accusations of state intrusion and moral policing; fail to intervene and they stand accused of failing to protect the vulnerable. Increasingly, however, there has been a steady erosion of the concept of the private sphere for society as a whole. This trend also affects social workers as they find their conduct, both in and outside work subject to the scrutiny of the General Social Care Council. In the light of these developments, this paper revisits the public/private debate. First, the problems with such a dichotomy are discussed. Second, attempts to move beyond the dichotomy by use of a trichotomy are considered. Finally, the political and personal consequences for social workers of losing any distinction between the public and the private are highlighted. It is argued that there is a need to reconsider the importance of the private sphere as an area essential for human development, and of a need for a political outlook that is not obsessed by the minutiae of peoples lives.

The State of Regulation in England: From the General Social Care Council to the Health and Care Professions Council

In this paper, we analyse the way in which social work, as a profession, has coped with and responded to the various forms of regulation to which it has been subject in England. First, we briefly detail the rise of external regulation of the professions, discussing both the rationale for, and criticisms of, such developments. Second, we take a closer look at developments within social work and the operation of the General Social Care Council (GSCC)s conduct proceedings from its inception in 2001 until its dissolution in 2012. Third, we focus on the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and consider how it has begun its regulation of social workers since it took on this responsibility from August 2012. We conclude by outlining some of the concerns we have as well as discussing reasons as to why we feel this area of work needs to be explored further.

Control and Social Work: A Reflection on Some Twenty-First Century Developments

The first decade of the twenty-first century witnessed many changes in social work. This article discusses several of these developments in order to understand the rationale behind them and to consider how they impact on social workers and the social work role. Three separate but interconnected developments are highlighted. First, some key influences on statutory mental health and child protection services are discussed. Second, the author considers the role of the General Social Care Council (GSCC). Third, and related to the previous two points, the author looks at the way the term ‘vulnerable’, once considered a relatively rare condition or state, certainly for adults, has expanded to the point that to be considered vulnerable is no longer seen as an exceptional state but has, in many respects, become normalised. The purpose is twofold. First, to show the connections between developments in different services, and second, to highlight overarching societal developments that affect not only social workers but all of us, as procedural measures to protect the vulnerable become institutionalised. In the process, not only have social workers become more controlling, they have simultaneously become more controlled by procedural measures and regulatory authorities.

Debatable Marriages: Marriage and Child Marriage in Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT This article examines marriage and the constitution of familial relationships in Saudi Arabia, with a specific focus on one form of marriage that has recently become an issue of public, political, and religious discussion, that of “child marriage.” The situation within Saudi Arabia is compared with gendered relationships in other countries, most notably those in Western Europe, with specific attention given to the United Kingdom. It is argued that policy developments in Saudi Arabia need to be seen in the context of wider Saudi culture, Sharia law, and religious interpretations of the Koran.

An analysis of HCPC fitness to practise hearings: Fit to Practise or Fit for Purpose?

ABSTRACT All professions regulated by the HCPC have ‘protection of title’. This means that only those on its relevant register can legally work as or call themselves a social worker. As such, the HCPC’s Fitness to Practise panel wields a lot of power over individuals brought before it, effectively being able to prevent them from gaining employment as a social worker or imposing conditions on their practice. This article reports the findings from a study which examined publically available notes of HCPC fitness to practise hearings. The aim was to analyse what happens when an initial investigation finds that there is a case to answer, what factors influence the findings of the Fitness to Practise panel and how the outcome of the hearing then affects the social worker subject to the HCPC process. Using thematic analysis, our findings suggest that the seriousness of the alleged misconduct does not necessarily relate to the severity of sanction applied. It is the social worker’s engagement with the process, her insight into the issues and her credibility as a witness that appears to have the most significant bearing on the level of sanction applied.

Advocacy research and social policy: Action for Children and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children as case studies

Purpose – Much social policy research today is commissioned, published and publicised by organisations with direct involvement in that particular aspect of policy. Whilst much good can result from such “advocacy research”, at times the tactics employed by some groups have been criticised for exaggerated claims making and sensationalist reporting as they attempt to get their particular issue into the political and public domain and also generate more government funding and/or increase public donations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate such claims. Design/methodology/approach – In this paper the author wishes to look at some of the tactics utilised by advocacy groups in order to establish the legitimacy of their particular concern. The author focuses on material published by Action for Children and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and between 2010 and 2012 in relation to child maltreatment, critically analysing them from a social constructionist standpoint and drawin...

Recognising Social Work: The Influence of the Politics of Recognition on Social Work

The politics of recognition is a common framework through which both individual and group demands are made today. Demands are made not only for individual distress to be validated, but also for cultural identities to be accorded positive recognition; in the acknowledgement of past trauma or abuse in the former, and in showing respect towards different lifestyles and beliefs in the latter. This paper discusses the politics of recognition in its historical specificity, in particular its interaction with the new social movements (NSMs) that came to the fore in the latter decades of the twentieth century. Such movements increasingly focused on cultural issues with a concomitant decline of a more materialist politics that emphasised economic redistribution. The forms that such demands for recognition can take are also highlighted. In addition, some implications for social policy and social work are discussed as whilst welfare recipients are often people requiring recognition, increasingly, welfare providers also articulate a desire for their professionalism and societal worth to also be accorded positive cultural recognition. In light of this, barriers to, and strategies for, the achievement of a form of ‘mutual recognition’ between professionals and social workers are also discussed.

Doing What’s Best, but Best for Whom? Ethics and the Mental Health Social Worker

About the book: This is the first text of its kind to deal exclusively with applied social work ethics. It focuses on an eclectic mix of difficult moral questions or issues encountered in much modern day practice. It is therefore not theoretically driven with some practical elements attached, but is instead is a practice-based book, where any theory introduced is linked to tangible practice situations. It is also thought-provoking, controversial in parts and always engaging.