and groups to secure funding. Craig ( 2011 : 368) criticised some of the research on the minoritised community voluntary sector for being ‘colour-blind’. That is, when minoritised communities are discussed, it entails drawing out shared experiences rather than specific experiences of the individual groups within the umbrella. Therefore, it is important to identify when a group faces issues that are specific to them, for example the experiences of Black-led organisations. The micro-organisations examined in this article are run by and for Black people with African or
391© The Policy Press • 2011 • ISSN 2040 8056 pr ac tic e Key words micro organisations • BAME • infrastructure Voluntary Sector Review • vol 2 • no 3 • 2011 • 391–8 • http://dx.doi.org/10.1332/204080511X608799 Have voluntary sector infrastructure support providers failed micro organisations? Kim Donahue This paper examines the role of infrastructure organisations in relation to micro organisations with no or few paid staff. It discusses the distinctive features of micro organisations, their ‘comparative advantages’ and their limitations before
Shifts to independent delivery of health and social care services have led to increased numbers of micro-enterprises. Could these tiny organisations with just 5 or fewer employees be the best way of delivering cost-effective health and social care services in the context of decreased budgets and increased demands? What size is ‘just right’ for a care provider?
This book explores size as an independent variable in care services, comparing outcomes and value for money across micro, small, medium and large organisations. Using interviews and surveys with 108 people using services and carers in 27 case-study organisations it focuses on the contribution micro-enterprises can make to the care sector.
In the past decade community groups have been portrayed as the solution to many social problems. Yet the role of ‘below the regulatory radar’ community action has received little research attention and thus is poorly understood in terms of both policy and practice.
Focusing on self-organised community activity, this book offers the first collection of papers developing theoretical and empirically grounded knowledge of the informal, unregistered, yet largest, part of the voluntary sector. The collection includes work from leading academics, activists, policy makers and practitioners offering a new and coherent understanding of community action ‘below the radar’.
The book is part of the Third Sector Research Series which is informed by research undertaken at the Third Sector Research Centre, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and Barrow Cadbury Trust.
Voluntary and community organisations have moved to the centre of political debates, as the new UK government reduces the scope of the state and locates solutions in civil society. This new book explores the extensive growth and reshaping of the voluntary sector following sweeping changes to social and welfare policy over 30 years. It draws on contemporary social and organisational theory and debates to consider whether surviving in the voluntary sector now depends on realigning activities and compromising independent goals and values.
This important book is the first edited collection to provide an up to date and comprehensive overview of the third sector’s role in public service delivery. Exploring areas such as social enterprise, capacity building, volunteering and social value, the authors provide a platform for academic and policy debates on the topic. Drawing on research carried out at the ESRC funded Third Sector Research Centre, the book charts the historical development of the state-third sector relationship, and reviews the major debates and controversies accompanying recent shifts in that relationship. It is a valuable resource for social science academics and postgraduate students as well as policymakers and practitioners in the public and third sectors in fields such as criminal justice, health, housing and social care.
In this uniquely vivid and compelling textbook, the authors reflect on eight challenging situations they have faced in the world of child protection social work. Their candid accounts provide in-depth case studies in how to work reflectively, using theory and research in situations of pressure and dilemma. They cover many common aspects of practice, including:
• assessing risk;
• managing different professional perspectives;
• working with uncooperative clients;
• dealing with organisational change.
Throughout the book, the authors pause at intervals to reveal their thoughts and feelings, either as reflections in the moment or afterwards, and they invite the reader to do the same. Their detailed analysis will allow you to understand why particular decisions might be made, and how you can overcome similar predicaments using the tools of reflective practice. Annotated further readings lists and a glossary of terms offer further resources for study.
The realities of child protection social work can be intimidating for even the most seasoned practitioners. This book is designed to empower both students and qualified professionals to practise safely, responsibly and confidently.
EPUB and EPDF available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.
Today, production processes have become fragmented with a range of activities divided among firms and workers across borders. These global value chains are being strongly promoted by international organisations, such as the World Bank and the World Trade Organization, but social and political backlash is mounting in a growing variety of forms.
This ambitious volume brings together academics and activists from Europe to address the social and environmental imbalances of global production. Thinking creatively about how to reform the current economic system, this book will be essential reading for those interested in building sustainable alternatives at local, regional and global levels.
Approaches based around complexity theory are increasingly being used in the study of organisations and the delivery of services. This is the first book to explore the application of complexity theory to difficult practice issues in criminal justice and social work and is intended to stimulate debate. It brings together experts in this emerging field to address complexity theory from a range of perspectives (positivist, realist, and constructivist), providing a detailed but accessible discussion of the key issues to whole systems approaches. The chapters cover theory and research on the nature of complex adaptive systems, their application to key areas of service delivery and the efficacy and ethics of criminal justice and social work interventions. The book argues for the usefulness of applying complexity theory to address significant and intractable social problems and also challenges the reductionist approaches to solving those problems currently favoured by policy makers. It will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students in social work and criminal justice.
This book takes a life course perspective, analysing and comparing the biographies of mothers and fathers in seven European countries in context. Based on an innovative, cross-national EU study, it examines the ways in which working parents negotiate the transition to parenthood and attempt to find a ‘work-life balance’.
Using in-depth qualitative biographical data, the book offers a deep understanding of working parents’ real lives by locating them within diverse national, workplace and family contexts. It provides rich insights into how policies and practices at the institutional level play out in individual and family lives, how they shape the decisions during both transition phases and in parents’ daily experiences of juggling work and family life. It highlights some difficult and complex issues about the sustainability of contemporary working practices for bringing up children that are highly relevant in times of economic retrenchment.
‘Transitions to parenthood in Europe’ will be of interest to an academic readership at all levels of the social sciences, as well as employers, managers, trade unions and policy makers.
