Hope and despair at the front line

Jones, Mellita

doi:10.1177/002087280004300308

Cited by 19 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The crisis of the Australian welfare state, and the resulting crisis of social work reached a zenith with what Bourdieu (1998) describes as 'the neoliberal project'. Concerns over the impact of neoliberalism on social work are evident in various sources, with strong evidence of dismantling, restructuring and fiscal strangling as part of neoliberal ideas and practices (Baines, 2006;Dominelli, 1999;Jones, 2000;Ferguson, Lavalette, & Whitmore, 2005;McDonald & Gray, 2006;Mendes, 2009). There is, however, some conjecture about the nature of the challenges social work faces and its possible responses in the context of neoliberalism (Ferguson, 2004;Leonard, 1997;Mendes, 2003).…”

Section: Neoliberalism and Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Within the literature, the impact of neoliberalism on social workers is developed on a number of fronts. First, there are broad concerns over its impact on the welfare state generally and the flow-on consequences for social work; and second, there are more detailed investigations of the micro-impact of neoliberal ideas and practices on social workers' role, values and function (Baines, 2006(Baines, , 2008(Baines, , 2010Dominelli, 1999;Ferguson et al, 2004;Jones, 2000;McDonald & Gray, 2006;Mendes, 2009).…”

Section: Neoliberalism and Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Neoliberalism and Australian social work: Accommodation or resistance?

Wallace

Pease

2011

Journal of Social Work

126

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• Summary: Since the mid-1970s the Australian welfare state has faced a continuing crisis of resourcing and legitimation. Social work as a central entity within the welfare state has been challenged in terms of to its value base and relevance. As with much of the Western world, this challenge has been heightened with the rise of neoliberalism, which has pervaded most aspects of Australian society. Neoliberalism has consequently had a profound effect upon Australian social workers. The challenges to the Australian welfare state and social work are from without and within, by neoliberal ideas and its practices. • Findings: While neoliberalism’s relationship to social work as a broad theme is explored in the literature, the complexity of marketization and inclusive aspects have not been considered in any detail in relation to social work. The evidence in the Australian context is even slimmer, and as a consequence the particularity of the Australian welfare state and its relationship to neoliberalism, and the consequences for Australian social work, remains largely untested. Furthermore, while there are some indications of the day to day impact on social work in the context of a post-welfare state regime, little work has been conducted on the capacity of neoliberalism to infiltrate social work through its new institutions of the social and thus become embedded in social work. • Application: This article lays the foundations for a research project to examine the extent to which neoliberalism has become embedded in Australian social work and how social workers and social work educators are responding to these hegemonic influences. What are the ways in which social workers have become complicit in neoliberalism? Is Australian social work part of the neoliberal project to the point where neoliberalism has become part of its understandings and everyday activity? It is hoped that through this research, a more sophisticated understanding of the impact of neoliberalism on social work will contribute to the revitalization of critical social work in Australia and forms of resistance to the neoliberal project.

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Section: Neoliberalism and Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Neoliberalism and Social Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neoliberalism and Australian social work: Accommodation or resistance?

Wallace

Pease

2011

Journal of Social Work

126

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“…In turn, this ongoing contact coupled with heavy workloads and limited resources can negatively impact the well-being as well as the effectiveness of the HS providers. Such challenges are also noted in the academic literature and are important to consider in HS programming and planning (Jones, 2000;Siril et. al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding hope from the voices of service users and providers across Canada

Guerrero,

Lackner

2024

JIPE

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Although Canada is home to the second largest non-profit and volunteer sector in the world, there is an absence of an overarching framework to guide human services delivery (Hall et. al., 2005; Rahmani, 2022). This paper documents the first phase of a three-year study that seeks to begin to bridge this gap by learning from both HS providers and users’ narratives, specifically in relation to the topics of hope, self-compassion, and authentic collaboration. The first phase of the research focused on the topic of hope via the following questions: How do HS consumers and service providers meaningfully experience hope in the course of HS service delivery within their lifeworlds? How might these experiences inform a guiding framework for Canadian HS service delivery? A thematic analysis of surveys and interviews collected from six partner organizations across Canada revealed the following themes: 1) the importance of human connections; 2) the building and evolution of hope; and 3) the futurity of hope. These findings point out several implications for practice and research, including a need for human-centred training that focuses more on topics like sensitivity and compassion. Respondents, particularly the service providers, also spoke to the need for strategies and opportunities to take care of oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually. This call is especially prevalent in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and funding cuts across Canada.

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“…Decisions they were once entrusted with are no longer theirs to make leaving them feeling devalued and powerless (Baines, 2004). Burnout, job instability, and more stressful work environments have been a common story for many workers in the field making them more vulnerable to the ills of a market driven society (Jones, 2000). With financial support diminishing for social justice and community-oriented practices (Aronoson and Sammon, 2000 ;Cox, 2001), and the demands from funders to focus on individualized work with clients rather than community development initiatives (Abramovitz, 2006(Abramovitz, , 2005, members of progressive social service organizations are struggling to meet the immediate demands of their various stakeholders, and keep true to their original approaches.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Image Construction as a Strategy of Resistance by Progressive Community Organizations

George¹,

Moffatt²,

Barnoff³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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<p>This article presents research findings on image construction as a strategy of resistance used by progressive community agencies to be responsive to the increasing marginalization of their service users in current times. The agencies project nuanced images in representing their work to service users, funders and stakeholders and community partner agencies. These nuanced images serve to demonstrate the multiple and complex identities of these agencies. The agencies have used this strategy successfully to reclaim their power with funders and use their power effectively in making their services responsive and relevant to the situations of service users. The article provides an interesting presentation on the dynamics of the use of this strategy by progressive community organizations.</p>

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Hope and despair at the front line

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

Neoliberalism and Australian social work: Accommodation or resistance?

Neoliberalism and Australian social work: Accommodation or resistance?

Understanding hope from the voices of service users and providers across Canada

Image Construction as a Strategy of Resistance by Progressive Community Organizations

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