Soft Cops or Social Justice Activists: Social Work’s Relationship to the state in the context of BLM and Neoliberalism

Abstract

In the current dual context of Black Lives Matter/defund the police and calls for accountability to those whom social work has harmed as part of the state machinery, this article returns to the debate on state theory. The article explores three state-linked forms of care, coercion and control: stealth coercion/control (in aged-care); population-linked coercion/control, and police and carceral-linked coercion/control. The article analyses what is missing in state theory in a neoliberal world and argues that social work needs models of practice and theory that are themselves a form of resistance and relative autonomy from the state in that they challenge the oppressive state machinery while making demands on the state for equity and fairness. This model permits social work to be humble in the face of lived experience and grounded in the priorities of the community, rather than uncritically legitimising state-linked oppression and securing the ground for profit and accumulation. The article concludes that while this social justice-engaged model will be essential for those moving into the new practice contexts resulting from defunding the police, it is also a model that will serve to strengthen the relevance and integrity of all social work practice.

Recentring anti-racist practice in social work education and training in England: a qualitative study

“…The argument is that it will be beneficial for funding to be reallocated to more appropriate organisations and professionals that support and serve the community, with a heightened sense of accountability (NASW, 2020). Social workers are at the heart of this (see also Baines, 2021), with a belief that some of the day-to-day functions of the police are better performed by social workers (NASW, 2020). There is a call to look at the current 'crisis management system', specifically, how it is functioning and where it can be improved.…”

“…The argument is that this can be achieved by the use of social work and mental health programmes, where more funding can support preventive work in crisis management (NASW, 2020). Baines (2021) similarly argued that where social work has unintentionally contributed to the state-imposed coercion and control of marginalised groups, it needs to rethink its position in the neoliberal context and propose new ways of autonomy and resistance.…”

“…Considering the global events over the past year, the time is now for social work training and education to explicitly address and recentre anti-racist practice at the forefront of its agenda, with the objective to contribute to the fight of exterminating historical and contemporary inequalities (see also Tedam, 2020;2021). This article reports on data from a study that explored the challenges and opportunities as they emerged from the upsurge of the BLM movement and relevant activism following the end of May 2020.…”