Complexity and Social Work

185 Pages·2018·2.291 MB·English

by  Hans Van Ewijk

COMPLEXITY AND SOCIAL WORK
Being socially competent is essential in late modern society. We expect people to
find their own accommodation, partner, job, community and lifestyle and struggle
to find answers for those who are not able or do not have the opportunity to
achieve these things. By placing social complexity, social vulnerability and social
efficacy within a framework of social policy and social practice, Complexity and
Social Work argues that growing social complexity excludes more and more citizens
from social participation.
The book starts with exploring complexity, super-diversity, vulnerability and
socialefficacy.Fromtherethebookdealswiththediscoursesofsocialpolicy,social
workandsocialworkresearch,pledgingforsocialpolicyaimingatdesiredoutcomes,
forgenericcontextualsocialwork,andforaresearchpracticethatrecognisespractical
wisdom.
Aimed at final year undergraduates, postgraduates, professionals, trainers and lec-
turersinvolvedinsocialwork,socialpolicy,socialcare,mentalhealthandalliedfields
whoarecommittedtotreatingsociallyvulnerablepeoplewithrespectandacceptance,
thisbook,thefirstofitskind,offersnewperspectivesonsocialcomplexityforpractice,
theoryandresearchinhumanservices.
HansvanEwijkisEmeritusProfessorof Social WorkTheoryattheUniversity of
Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and Emeritus Professor of Social
Policy and Social Work at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands.
He has been executive director of the Dutch Institute of Care and Welfare. He is a
past president of ICSW Europe and past chair of ENSACT. Since 2006 hehas also
been a visiting professor at Tartu University, Estonia.
‘Hans van Ewijk, a leading European thinker, calls on vast range of reference to
make an innovative case for a renewal of effectiveness in social work, so that it can
respond to the complexity of today’s society and the failings of overloaded social
provision. He puts forward an inspirational but critical conception of the possibilities
for social work as a co-productive enterprise with active citizens in the future.’
– Malcolm Payne, Kingston University, UK
‘This book is a tour de force in its grasp of the contemporary moment and what
this implies for professional practices. It offers theoretical depth and astute com-
mentaryonthenatureofissuesconfrontingindividuals,groupsandorganisationsin
aneraofrapidchangeandstretchestheprofessionalimaginarytomoresignificantly
engage with social complexity. Van Ewijk offers a timely and authoritative obser-
vation of aprofession intransitionand acomprehensiveresourcefor discussionand
debate that will have international appeal.’
– Charlotte Williams OBE, Professor of Social Work and Deputy Dean,
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia
COMPLEXITY AND
SOCIAL WORK
Hans van Ewijk
Firstpublished2018
byRoutledge
2ParkSquare,MiltonPark,Abingdon,OxonOX144RN
andbyRoutledge
711ThirdAvenue,NewYork,NY10017
RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2018HansvanEwijk
TherightofHansvanEwijktobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedbyhiminaccordancewithsections77and78oftheCopyright,Designs
andPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproducedor
utilisedinanyformorbyanyelectronic,mechanical,orothermeans,now
knownorhereafterinvented,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orinany
informationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissioninwritingfromthe
publishers.
Trademarknotice:Productorcorporatenamesmaybetrademarksorregistered
trademarks,andareusedonlyforidentificationandexplanationwithoutintentto
infringe.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Names:Ewijk,Hansvan,author.
Title:Complexityandsocialwork/HansvanEwijk.
Othertitles:Omgaanmetsocialecomplexiteit.English
Description:Abingdon,Oxon;NewYork,NY:Routledge,[2018]|
Translationof:Omgaanmetsocialecomplexiteit.|Includesbibliographical
references.
Identifiers:LCCN2017021884|ISBN9781138089327(hbk)|
ISBN9781138089334(pbk)|ISBN9781315109275(ebk)
Subjects:LCSH:Socialservice.|Socialproblems.|Interpersonalrelations.|
Socialpolicy.
Classification:LCCHV40.E952018|DDC361--dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017021884
ISBN:978-1-138-08932-7(hbk)
ISBN:978-1-138-08933-4(pbk)
ISBN:978-1-315-10927-5(ebk)
TypesetinBembo
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
With thanks to Kriti Toshniwal
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CONTENTS
List of illustrations ix
Introduction: finding a path x
1 Social complexity and vulnerability 1
Introduction 1
Setting the problem 1
The new social quest 8
The exclusionary social world 13
Social complexity 18
Superdiversity, class and poverty 24
Changing perspective on answering social problems 27
Final remark 30
2 Social efficacy 33
Introduction 33
Polanyi: tacit knowledge 33
Bourdieu: habitus 39
Schön: artistry 43
Sen: capabilities 50
Concluding reflections 55
Final remark 59
3 Normative professionalisation 61
Introduction 61
Professionalisation 62
viii Contents
Normative professionalisation: history and essentials 64
Developing normative professionalisation 67
Fostering professionalisation 71
Final remark 73
4 Transformation and deinstitutionalisation 75
Introduction 75
Transforming the welfare state 75
Active citizenship 81
Deinstitutionalisation 84
Final remark 93
5 Social work 96
Introduction 96
Exploring and positioning social work 96
The social model 101
The social work body of knowledge 105
Contextual social work 120
Final remark 123
6 Social work as a practice based science and research 127
Introduction 127
Social work as a science and a discipline 127
Social work research 132
Research methodology and methods 137
Characterising the epistemological position of social work research 139
Evidence based practice or evidence biased practice? 140
Final remark 148
7 The case of Marc: applying theory to practice 153
Introduction 153
Multiple connections 153
Ingredients for coping with social complexity 158
Final remark 162
Index 163
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
1.1 Complexity, claims and capacity triangle 29
2.1 Social efficacy column 56
2.2 Capability cycle 58
3.1 Karpman drama triangle 63
4.1 Citizen, state, society triangle 80
Boxes
1.1 My class 12
4.1 Professional friend 92
5.1 Categories of social work theory 107