Social work in municipalities
contested changes with implications for the profession?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v8i1.94Keywords:
contextual social work, devolution, professional discretion, social work dilemmas, democratic professionalismAbstract
The point of departure of this article is contemporary changes in the relationship between national and local decision making in the Norwegian political system. The last decades’ centralization tendencies seem to be challenged by a “new” emphasis on local discretion, and the article discusses how this will affect social work in municipalities. The changes are contested and controversial and allude to questions such as how much discretion should be given to local decision makers in the name of local democracy, and how much difference should be accepted in the name of diversity? The article argues that professional social work must be context-specific, meaning that in a wide sense local knowledge is a prerequisite for good social work. Devolution and local political and professional discretion are necessary in many cases, but not sufficient in themselves as conditions for success. Professional social workers will encounter a lot of difficult dilemmas arousing from issues related to the equality/liberty debate and the diversity/difference/equality debate in social work discourses. In order to approach these dilemmas, more of a focus on local deliberation and place shaping, in combination with a social work focus on democratic professionalism, is necessary. If this is done successfully, devolution and a recapturing of local discretion and decision-making power will empower clients as well as professionals. Thus, current changes in the relationship between different levels of decision making will enlarge the possibilities for professional social work in the municipalities.
References
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Kröger, T. (2011). Returning the Nordic welfare municipality: Central regulation of social care under change in Finland. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol.31, no. ¾, (2011): 148-159.
Kildal, N., & Kuhnle, S. (2005). Normative Foundations of the Welfare State. The Nordic experience. Routledge.
Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level Bureaucracy: The Dilemmas of Individuals in Public Service. New York. Russell Sage Foundation.
Logan, J., & Molotch, H. (1987). Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place Berkeley: University of California Press.
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NOU (2006). 7 Det lokale folkestyret i endring. Om deltakelse og engasjement i lokalpolitikken. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
Peterson, P. E. (1981). City limits. Chicago. University of Chicago Press. Pierson, C. (2006). Beyond the Welfare State? Polity.
Pollitt, C. (2007). The Oxford Handbook of Public Management, Oxford University Press, chapter on Decentralization.
Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Gill, N. (2003). ‘The Global Trend towards Devolution and its Implications’, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 21(3): 333–51.
Sellers, J. M., & Lidstrøm, A. (2007). Decentralization, Local Government, and the Welfare State, Governance – An International Journal of Policy and Administration, vol. 20, no. 4: 609-632.
Sewpaul, V. (2005). Global standards: Promise and pitfalls for re-inscribing social work into civil society. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 14, 210-217.
Sewpaul, V., & Hölscher, D. (2004). Social Work in times of Neoliberalism. A post- modern discourse. Pretoria. Van Schaik Publishers.
Sohlberg, P. (2009). Is there nothing beyond post-modernism and ‘the theoretical Other’? The need for balancing universalism and diversity in social work. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 18, issue 3, 317-322.
St. meld. nr. 31 (2000-2001). Kommune, fylke, stat - en bedre oppgavefordeling. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
St. meld. nr. 33 (2007-2008). Eit sterkt lokaldemokrati. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
Sullivan, W. M. (2004). Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.
Tam, H. (1998). Communitarianism. A new agenda for politics and citizenship. MacMillan Press LTD. London.
Taylor-Gooby, P. (1991). Welfare State Regimes and Welfare Citizenship. Journal of European Social Policy, no. 1, 93-105.
Tranvik, T., & Selle, P. (2007). More Centralization, Less Democracy: The Decline of the Democratic Infrastructure in Norway. In L. Trägardh (Ed.), State and Civil Society in Northern Europe. The Swedish Model Reconsidered. Oxford. Berghahn Books.
Trygged, S. (2010). Balancing the global and the local: Some normative reflections on international social work. International Social Work, 53 (5), 644-655.
Van de Valle, S. (2010). Building Local Communities: Place-Shaping as Nation- Building. Lex Localis. Journal of Local Self-government, vol. 8, no.1, 23-34.
Webb, S. A. (2009). Against difference and diversity in social work: The case of human rights. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 18, no. 3: 307-316.
Yu, N. G. (2013). Devolution: Discontinuity and dissonance. International Social Work, 56 (2) 193-207 DOI: 10.1177/0020872811421618.
Østerud, Ø., & Selle, P. (2006). Power and Democracy in Norway: The Transformation of Norwegian Politics, Scandinavian Political Studies, vol. 9, no. 1: 25-46.
Baines, D. (2004). Pro-Market, Non-Market: The Dual Nature of Organizational Change in Social Services Delivery. Critical Social Policy, 2004 , vol. 24, nos. 1,5: 5- 29.
Bergmark, Å., & Minas, R. (2007). Decentraliserad välferd eller medborgerliga rättigheter? Om omfördelning och ansvar mellan stat och kommun. Socialvetenskaplig tidsskrift, nos. 2-3, 220-241.
Buray, V., & Kröger, T. (2004). Towards local comparisons of community care governance: Exploring the relationship between policy and politics. Social policy and administration, vol. 38, no. 7: 793-810
Christensen, T., & Lægreid, P. (Eds.) (2001). New Public management: The transformation of ideas and practice, Aldershot, Ashgate.
Difi (2010). Statlig styring av kommunene. Om bruken av juridiske styringsvirkemidler på tre sektorer. Difi-rapport: 4.
Dwyer, P. (2000). Welfare Rights and Responsibilities: Contested Social Citizenships. Bristol. Policy Press.
Dzur, A. W. (2004). Democratic Professionalism: Sharing Authority in Civic Life. The Good Society, vol. 13, no. 1: 6-14.
Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Etzioni, A. (1995). The Spirit of Community. Fontana.
Evans, T. (2010). Professional Discretion in Welfare Services. Beyond Street-Level Bureaucracy. Farnham. Ashgate.
Evans, T., & Harris, J. (2004). Street-Level Bureaucracy, Social Work and the (Exaggerated) Death of Discretion. British Journal of Social Work, vol. 34: 871-895.
Fimreite, A. L., Flo, Y., & Tranvik, T. (2002). Lokalt handlingsrom og nasjonal integrasjon: Kommuneideologiske brytninger i et historisk perspektiv. Rapport nr. 50. Oslo: Makt- og demokratiutredningen 1998-2003.
Fimreite, A. L., Flo, Y., Selle, P., & Tranvik, T. (2007). Når sektorbåndene slites, Tidsskrift for samfunnsforskning, vol. 48, no. 2: 165-193.
Freidson, E. (2001). Professionalism. The third logic. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Grant, B., Dollery, B., & Case, L. (2009). The Implications of the Lyons Report into Local Government in England for Structural Reform in Australian Local Government. International Journal of Public Administration, vol. 32: 852-867
Gray, M., & Fook, J. (2004). The Quest for a Universal Social Work: Some Issues and Implications. Social Work Education, vol. 23, no. 5: 625-644.
Grønlie, T. (1987). Velferdskommune og utjevningsstat. 1945-1970. In H. E. Næss, E. Hovland, T. Gronlie, H. Baldersheim, & R. Danielsen, Folkestyre i by og bygd. Norske kommuner gjennom 150 år, Oslo: Universitetsforlaget .
Hansen, T., Hovik, S., & Klausen, J. E. (2000). Stortinget som lokalpolitisk aktør, Oslo, NIBR’s Pluss-serie 3-2000.
Hansen, K. Local Councillors (2001). Between local ‘government’ and local ‘governance’, Public Administration, vol. 79, no. 1: 105-123.
Haug, E. (2005). Critical reflections on the emerging discourse of international social work. International Social Work, vol. 48, no. 2: 126-135.
Healy, K. (2005). Social Work Theories in Context. Creating Frameworks for Practice. Basingstoke. Palgrave.
Healy. K. (2009). A case of mistaken identity. The social welfare professions and New Public Management. Journal of Sociology, vol. 45:401: 401-418.
Healy, L. M. (2007). Universalism and cultural relativism in social work ethics. International Social Work 50(1),11-26.
Hokenstad, M. C., Khinduka, S. K., & Midgley, J. (1992). ‘The World of International Social Work’. In M. C. Hokenstad, S. K. Khinduka, & J. Midgley (Eds.), Profiles in International Social Work, pp. 1-10. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Hood, C. (1991). “A Public Management for All Seasons?” Public Administration, 69 (Spring): 3-19.
Hugman, R., Moosa-Mitha, M., & Mayo, O. (2010). Towards a borderless social work: Reconsidering notions of international social work. International social work, 53(5): 629-643.
Ife, J. (1997). Rethinking social work: Towards critical practice. Melbourne, Logman. Ife, J. (2001). Human Rights and Social Work: Towards Rights-based Practice. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.
Ife, J., & Fiske, L. (2006). Human rights and community work: Complementary theories and practices. International Social Work, vol. 49, no. 3: 297-308.
Jacobsen, D. I. (2009). A Tragedy of the Councils? Exploring the Hollowing-Out Hypothesis – the Case of Norwegian Local Authorities. Lex localis - Journal of Local Self-Government, vol. 7, no. 3: 221-242.
Kröger, T. (2011). Returning the Nordic welfare municipality: Central regulation of social care under change in Finland. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol.31, no. ¾, (2011): 148-159.
Kildal, N., & Kuhnle, S. (2005). Normative Foundations of the Welfare State. The Nordic experience. Routledge.
Lipsky, M. (1980). Street-level Bureaucracy: The Dilemmas of Individuals in Public Service. New York. Russell Sage Foundation.
Logan, J., & Molotch, H. (1987). Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place Berkeley: University of California Press.
Lyngstad, R. (2012). Contextual social work and internationalizing social work education: Two sides of the same story? Journal of Social Work. Published online 21 February 2012. DOI: 10.1177/1468017311435202.
Lyons, M. (2007). Place-shaping: A shared ambition for the future of local government. Lyons inquiry into Local Government. The Stationary Office.
Marshall, T. H. (1964). Class, Citizenship and Social Development Chicago: University Press.
Midgley, J. (2001). Issues in International Social Work. Resolving Critical Debates in the Profession. Journal of Social Work. No. 1, 21-35.
Nothdurfter, U., & Lorenz, W. (2010). “Beyond the Pro and Contra of Evidence-Based Practice: Reflections on a Recurring Dilemma at the Core of Social Work”. Social Work and Society. International Online Journal, vol. 8, no. 1. http://www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/22/62
NOU (2000). 22 Om oppgavefordelingen mellom stat, region og kommune. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
NOU (2004). 17 Statlige tilsyn med kommunesektoren. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
NOU (2005). 6 Samspill og tillit. Om staten og lokaldemokratiet. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
NOU (2006). 7 Det lokale folkestyret i endring. Om deltakelse og engasjement i lokalpolitikken. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
Peterson, P. E. (1981). City limits. Chicago. University of Chicago Press. Pierson, C. (2006). Beyond the Welfare State? Polity.
Pollitt, C. (2007). The Oxford Handbook of Public Management, Oxford University Press, chapter on Decentralization.
Rodríguez-Pose, A., & Gill, N. (2003). ‘The Global Trend towards Devolution and its Implications’, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 21(3): 333–51.
Sellers, J. M., & Lidstrøm, A. (2007). Decentralization, Local Government, and the Welfare State, Governance – An International Journal of Policy and Administration, vol. 20, no. 4: 609-632.
Sewpaul, V. (2005). Global standards: Promise and pitfalls for re-inscribing social work into civil society. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 14, 210-217.
Sewpaul, V., & Hölscher, D. (2004). Social Work in times of Neoliberalism. A post- modern discourse. Pretoria. Van Schaik Publishers.
Sohlberg, P. (2009). Is there nothing beyond post-modernism and ‘the theoretical Other’? The need for balancing universalism and diversity in social work. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 18, issue 3, 317-322.
St. meld. nr. 31 (2000-2001). Kommune, fylke, stat - en bedre oppgavefordeling. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
St. meld. nr. 33 (2007-2008). Eit sterkt lokaldemokrati. Kommunal og regionaldepartementet.
Sullivan, W. M. (2004). Work and Integrity: The Crisis and Promise of Professionalism in America. San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.
Tam, H. (1998). Communitarianism. A new agenda for politics and citizenship. MacMillan Press LTD. London.
Taylor-Gooby, P. (1991). Welfare State Regimes and Welfare Citizenship. Journal of European Social Policy, no. 1, 93-105.
Tranvik, T., & Selle, P. (2007). More Centralization, Less Democracy: The Decline of the Democratic Infrastructure in Norway. In L. Trägardh (Ed.), State and Civil Society in Northern Europe. The Swedish Model Reconsidered. Oxford. Berghahn Books.
Trygged, S. (2010). Balancing the global and the local: Some normative reflections on international social work. International Social Work, 53 (5), 644-655.
Van de Valle, S. (2010). Building Local Communities: Place-Shaping as Nation- Building. Lex Localis. Journal of Local Self-government, vol. 8, no.1, 23-34.
Webb, S. A. (2009). Against difference and diversity in social work: The case of human rights. International Journal of Social Welfare, vol. 18, no. 3: 307-316.
Yu, N. G. (2013). Devolution: Discontinuity and dissonance. International Social Work, 56 (2) 193-207 DOI: 10.1177/0020872811421618.
Østerud, Ø., & Selle, P. (2006). Power and Democracy in Norway: The Transformation of Norwegian Politics, Scandinavian Political Studies, vol. 9, no. 1: 25-46.
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2013-04-01
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Lyngstad, R. (2013). Social work in municipalities: contested changes with implications for the profession?. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 8(1), 71–94. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v8i1.94
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