In whose interest?: the privatisation of child protection and social work

Table of contents

Introduction;
Part 1: The recent history;
How did we get here? The recent moves to privatise children's social services and social work;
Creeping political control: the Children and Social Work Bill and anti-professionalism;
The key players and their networks;
Part 2: The long haul;
The formation of the welfare state and its 1980s rejection by Thatcher;
Thatchers levers and emchanism to promote marketisation and privatisation;
Blair and New Labour's contribution to the journey;
Cameron, the Coalition and the Conservatives: Cambornism and enhanced Thatcherism;
Part 3: The impact of privatisation;
Privatisation of public services and the undermining of the welfare state;
The experience and outcomes of privatising public services;
The impact to date of the privatisation of social care, social services and social work;
Part 4: Changing course;
No to Tina: an alternative journey for social work and children's social services.

As the government continues to open up child protection and social work in England to a commercial market place, what is the social cost of privatising public services? And what effect has the failure of previous privatisations had on their provision?

This book, by best-selling author and expert social worker Ray Jones, is the first to tell the story of how crucial social work services, including those for families and children, are now being outsourced to private companies. Detailing how the failures of previous privatisations have led to the deterioration of services for the public, it shows how this trend threatens the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and disabled adults.

https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/in-whose-interest