Mark Drakeford

Devolution and youth justice in Wales

This article discusses youth justice services in Wales in the context both of devolution and the wider social policy agenda of successive Welsh Assembly Governments. It sets out the operating arrangements and outcomes achieved by Youth Offending Teams in Wales, before arguing that a specific approach has been developed to policy and practice in this field in the post-devolution period. The article traces the main features of this approach, locating it in the wider contexts of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the development of broader children’s policy in Wales. The discussion ends with an account of the most recent developments in Welsh youth justice, suggesting that it provides ample points of interest for those concerned both with the development of devolution in general, and services for children and young people in trouble with the law, in particular.

Ownership, regulation and the public interest: The case of residential care for older people

This commentary deals with recent, rapid developments in the field of private residential care of older people. It traces changes in the pattern of ownership and regulation, and explores the extent to which these impact upon the protection of the public interest. It concludes that the nature of ownership continues to matter in social welfare, and that regulation has proved of limited effectiveness in securing the interests of older people in private care.

Wales and a third term of New Labour: devolution and the development of difference

This brief article looks forward to the prospects for devolved government in Wales under the third term of a New Labour administration at Westminster. Four different strands are discussed in what follows: the development of devolution itself, including the prospects of a second Government of Wales Bill, the state of the Welsh economy, the development of a distinctively Welsh social policy agenda and the future leadership of the Welsh Assembly Government itself.

Welsh children’s views on government and participation

Qualitative research from Wales sought to explore aspects of childrens views on government and participation. The research project was conducted in 2001 with 105 children aged 8—11 from a diverse sample of schools across Wales. The article first reports the childrens perspectives on different levels (and places) of government: the UK parliament and the Welsh Assembly. Second, there is discussion of how the children see government as affecting their lives. The third section of the article presents the childrens views on the extent to which they should have a say in local and national political decisions, the examples being the building of a new road in their community and going to war. The children, while declaring a lack of interest in politics in general, in fact engaged enthusiastically in discussion of specific issues that they saw affecting their lives. There was a general expectation that they should be consulted on issues that affect them directly and they saw the potential for their views to be fed into decision-making via intermediaries. Very few, however, expected their own views to be decisive, but rather most believed that their views ought to be considered alongside others.

Health policy in Wales: Making a difference in conditions of difficulty

Devolution in a Welsh context has transferred social policy responsibilities to the National Assembly. Health has a dominant presence amongst these responsibilities, both in terms of budget commitment and political salience. This paper explores the context in which Assembly health policy making has taken place, looking at economic, administrative and political dimensions, identifying elements of continuity and change in the Assembly Governments approach to health matters. The paper argues that while policy making has been far-reaching, the implementation of that policy agenda has proved problematic. It concludes that both social policy academics and politicians have underestimated the ways in which barriers to reform can be mobilized, including the way in which health policy debates are presented in the media, even when radicalism has been established in policy intent.

Social Exclusion and the Politics of Criminal Justice: A Tale of Two Administrations

This article deals with the relationship between the emerging criminal justice and social policies of the 1997 Labour government. It analyses the legacy inherited from the previous Conservative administrations and explores the extent to which policy making in the one area is now influenced by activity in the other. The authors suggest that the objects of criminal justice policy are most likely to be achieved when understood and developed within a social policy context. They conclude, however, that in a number of important aspects, the current government seems more likely to pursue social policy objectives by invoking the instruments of criminal justice.

Going from bad to worse? Social policy and the demise of the Social Fund

This paper considers the origins and traces the history of the Social Fund, an ideologically-motivated social policy departure of the Thatcher era. It identifies the controversy, in research communities amongst others, which surrounded the establishment of the Fund, and considers the evidence of recurring difficulties in its practical operation over a thirty-year period. It then turns to the Coalition administration in Westminster’s decision to divest itself of responsibility for key parts of the Fund, devolving such obligations to local authorities in England, the Parliament in Scotland and the Assembly in Wales. The paper sets out a comparison of the approaches being developed to discharge the Fund’s prior responsibilities in the three nations. It concludes that the essential policy thrust lies in a determination to roll back central state obligations in poverty relief and income maintenance which had hitherto been accepted by all post-war administrations.

Transforming time: a new tool for youth justice

This article introduces the idea of time banks and argues for its relevance to youth justice workers. It outlines the purpose and functions of time banks before considering three practical ways in which they can be put to use in contemporary youth justice practice in England and Wales. The article argues that time banks offer a new possibility for local action by youth justice workers which both improves the immediate circumstances of users and alters the nature of services themselves.

Working with Parents in the Youth Justice System: Compulsory Help and ‘Doing Good’

This paper draws on interviews with parents of young people in trouble with the law, youth justice workers and with youth court magistrates, to investigate the operation of compulsory help through Parenting Orders. It traces the social policy approach of New Labour to ‘failing’ parents, explores the attitudes of those most closely involved in the youth justice context, and attempts to draw out some more general considerations for social work practice, including the attractions and costs of ‘doing good’ as a basis for compulsory intervention. Drawing on the success of previous social work practice, the paper argues that, rather than being drawn in the direction of compulsion, social workers ought to argue the case for voluntary assistance and resistance to the corrosive effects of social authoritarianism.

Anti-poverty practice and the changing world of credit unions: new tools for social workers

Social workers have always been directly concerned with the impact of poverty on the lives of service users. Yet practical ways of making a difference to these circumstances have diminished, rather than strengthened over the past twenty years. This paper considers recent developments in credit union services, drawing on research carried out in Wales. It argues that, both in terms of convenient saving and affordable credit, such unions now provide new ways in which help can be offered to least well off communities. A critically engaged social work, the paper suggests, needs to re-engage with such everyday tools for making a difference in the lives of those who most need such assistance.