Crisis, austerity and the future(s) of social work in the UK

Authors:
Iain Ferguson School of Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK

Search for other papers by Iain Ferguson in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
and
Michael Lavalette Department of Social Work, Care and Justice, Liverpool Hope University, UK

Search for other papers by Michael Lavalette in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
Restricted access
Get eTOC alerts
Rights and permissions Cite this article

In response to the current global crisis of capitalism, the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government in the United Kingdom has imposed a policy of ‘austerity’, which seeks to shift the costs of that crisis onto the poorest sections of the population while seeking also to undermine the post-war welfare settlement. This article will explore the implications of that restructuring of welfare for social work. Even before the onset of the crisis, however, there was considerable dissatisfaction, both governmental and professional, with the forms of social work that had developed since the market-led reforms of the early 1990s. The article will critically assess official responses to that dissatisfaction before exploring more radical responses, including the need for a new collectivism in social work theory and practice.

Iain Ferguson School of Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK

Search for other papers by Iain Ferguson in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close
and
Michael Lavalette Department of Social Work, Care and Justice, Liverpool Hope University, UK

Search for other papers by Michael Lavalette in
Current site
Google Scholar
Close

Content Metrics

May 2022 onwards Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 2665 1117 64
Full Text Views 306 67 6
PDF Downloads 395 99 7

Altmetrics

Dimensions

Critical and Radical Social Work
An international journal