Self-defence is no offence

Abstract

In thinking about contemporary social work this article tries to resist the temptation to conclude that we are, as a profession, the victims of a malicious attack by those who would wish to move, if not eradicate, the goal posts of welfare. Instead I wish to explore the extent to which, inadvertently, the ideological project of the Community Care legislation reflects a view that social work has of itself, namely one of denigration. I argue that self-defence can only occur in the context of a belief that there is something worth defending. The threat to social work certainly comes from without, and it should not be underestimated. The threat also comes from within and expresses itself in terms of ambivalence towards our own activity; a relentless search for ideas and interventions, which is not an indication of a willingness to change but of a lack of confidence; and finally the adoption of an ideological stance that, far from advancing a clear political point of view, seems more concerned with minimising the anxiety and disappointment that is inherently associated with modesty of practice

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