Social work between charity and the right to social welfare

C

Parental expectations of maternal and child health services

This article reports on survey research (N=1,418) aimed at examining whether parental expectations of maternal and child health (MCH) services are influenced by group characteristics (e.g., socioeconomic status [SES], ethnicity, at risk of poverty) and/or individual parenting context variables (e.g., received social support) in a context where these services are available to all. The findings reveal that parents have different expectations about the technical and relational expertise of MCH nurses. However, the authors found only very weak associations between family characteristics and parental expectations, suggesting that individual differences matter more than SES and other more traditional distinctions. Implications for MCH services are made

Jeugdwerk en sociale integratie: klein antwoord op een grote vraag...

In dit artikel reageren we op de verenging van de discussie over jeugdwerk en maatschappelijke ongelijkheid tot een toegankelijkheidsdiscussie. Het artikel bestaat uit twee delen. In het eerste deel brengt een deconstructie van de contraproductieve toegankelijkheidsdiscussie ons bij de ruimere vraag naar sociale integratie. We pleiten voor een benadering van sociale integratie waarin de focus verschuift van een deelname aan het gegeven aanbod naar de bijdrage van sociale interventies tot meer gelijke mogelijkheden en bespreken de implicaties voor jeugd(werk)onderzoek. Het tweede deel bespreekt de resultaten van een jeugdwerkstudie met betrekking tot deze vraag naar een bijdrage tot meer gelijke mogelijkheden. De multiple case study in Sint-Amandsberg toont dat in het gedifferentieerd jeugdwerkveld op diverse manieren wordt (kan worden) bijgedragen tot meer gelijke mogelijkheden voor kinderen en jongeren. Opportuniteiten zijn niet enkel aanwezig in jeugdbewegingen (met een sociale mix). Deze bevindingen roepen op tot het versterken van reeds bestaande, maar in de toegankelijkheidsdiscussie verwaarloosde, jeugdwerkpraktijken

On the frontline or on the side-line?: homelessness care and care avoiders

Homelessness is a social problem which is subject to many definitional issues and problems. These problems can be discerned on both the conceptual and the practical level (Hopper, 1997). Based on research carried out in Ghent, Belgium, this article deals with ways in which social workers involved in homelessness care construe the problem of ‘care avoiders’, who seem to be perceived as a separate category within the homeless population. We show that (1) different categories of homelessness are created on an organisational and on an individual level; (2) specific services have been developed for those who do not enter regular facilities and (3) a residual group has been created, which social work does not really know how to deal with

Social exclusion and youth work: from the surface to the depths of an educational practice

The current dominant discourse on social exclusion and youth work depicts inclusion in youth work as an instrument for inclusion in other more pivotal institutions of society. Recent studies have shown, however, that the participation of socially vulnerable young people does not necessarily yield the anticipated inclusions. Suggestions are subsequently been put forward to bring more structure into youth work initiatives. In this article, we assert that this technical reasoning fails to acknowledge the complexity of social reality. By means of a social pedagogical case study of the coming into being of a Flemish youth work field, we show how youth work actors in Flanders have come to reinforce the social exclusions they were so eager to solve. Our findings raise questions about individualistic fallacies and cultural biases in youth work practices and policies that have relevance well beyond the Flemish context

Uncovering the double-edged sword of inter-organisational networks of welfare services : tackling wicked issues in social work

This article deals with the tendency within the field of social work practice to create inter-organisational networks for welfare provision. We highlight the opportunities that then arise for social work to tackle social exclusion, and to perform its mediating role between the public sphere of government and the private sphere of individuals and families. We argue that the advantages of inter-organisational networking and collaboration can be realised by overcoming fragmentation of care at the micro level of welfare provision to citizens, but also by using these networks as a forum for debate to challenge dominant conceptualisations of complex social problems across organisational and sectorial boundaries. However, we also point to the danger of a so-called ‘network euphoria’, and discuss some of the risks associated with working together through networks. Therefore, the central argument of the article implies that those involved in these networks need to develop a common framework, or value base, with reference to human rights and principles of social justice