Social work legitimacy
Democratising research, policy and practice in child protection
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10896263 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jo Warner (0000-0002-1049-0432, University of Kent, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 1168-1185 |
| Publication date | 2021-06-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The British Journal of Social Work (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0045-3102 • E-ISSN: 1468-263X |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1093/bjsw/bcab021 |
| OpenAlex | W3131329972 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 31 |
This article analyses the concept of legitimacy as applied to the use of power in statutory social work with children and families in the UK. It draws on literature from police studies and criminology, in which the concept is a stable one that continues to be heavily researched and analysed. Police and social workers bear comparison in respect of legitimacy because of the significant powers they use on behalf of the state with direct implications for the civil and human rights of their fellow citizens. The article defines legitimacy in theoretical terms before applying the concept to social work. Here, perceptions of fairness in the distribution of resources, the quality of treatment people receive, and the quality of decision-making are critically examined. The article then proposes a democratising agenda across the three domains of social work research, policy, and practice. Through challenging social work’s legitimacy and analysing its relationship to social democracy, it is argued that new ways may be found to realign practice with the values of human rights and social justice that are said to underpin the profession. Given the severe socioeconomic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on many families, these questions acquire a particular urgency
Criminology · Human rights · Legitimacy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Statutory law · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Social Work
The Strengthening Mechanism of the Relationship between Social Work and Public Health under Covid-19 in China
Towards a critical decision-making ecology approach for child protection research
On Decision Variability in Child Protection
A fight for legitimacy
The perspectives of community-based practitioners on preventing baby removals
Politics Of Child Abuse
The Politics of Child Protection
Under the cover of kindness
The emotional politics of social work and child protection
The shame and shaming of parents in the child protection process
Robocop - The depersonalisation of police officers and their emotions
Responding to the Troubled Families Programme
Poverty, exclusion and child protection practice
Lay and professional knowledge in social work
What does empathy sound like in social work communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in child protection social work practice
Social work, poverty, and child welfare interventions
A golden thread, a presence amongst uniforms, and a good deal of data
Procedural Justice, Legitimacy, and the Effective Rule of Law
Humanism and Social Work Paradoxes, Problems, and Promises
Adoption and child protection trends for children aged under five in England
Born into care
Cuts both ways
Money matters
Observing Front Line Decision Making in Child Protection
Exploring the Experiences of Parents and Carers whose Children Have Been Subject to Child Protection Plans
Inequalities in Child Welfare
What the Public Think about Social Services
Words of Common Cause
Viewing Things Differently
Fast thinking
Deliberative research as a tool to make value judgements
| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2022 (2) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |