NL_SOCIAL

The public health implications of neoliberal policy and management on professions and vulnerable populations

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'This project will explore the impact of global fiscal changes on social work practice and interventions to develop best practice models. The project focus is on the impact of neoliberalism on social work in the partner countries. Neoliberalism for this study refers to international economic frameworks that support social, cultural and political policies and practices that promote the management of services through these frameworks.

The aim of the project is to collect data on the current delivery, training and policy in the six partner countries in order to transfer knowledge and develop best practice frameworks. The consortium will use the knowledge exchange embedded in the project to provide an analysis of the different social work policies and practice in each partner country. This will then be used to create a best practice framework for teaching and delivery of social work using the core benefits identified in each partner organisation and country.

The project will be delivered through seven core work packages. Research to understand social work through training and in practice in each of the consortium organisations and their countries as a whole forms the basis of this project. Exchanging knowledge and expertise across the consortium through teaching workshops, collaborative working and first-hand experience of social work in each country.

The consortium partners are wide-ranging geographically and in experience (U.K, Finland, Italy, South Africa, India and Russia) this diverse expertise is the catalyst to bring together current policies and draw together best practice. The varied host country backgrounds and current financial status make these partners ideal for effective knowledge sharing and the development of new global social work best practice models.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Neoliberalism may affect certain public service sectors such as social work. An EU project is developing the field's skill base, while its new research methods will contribute to the debate and help clarify this issue.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

An economic philosophy, neoliberalism includes the notion that public services burden the state and hence should be delivered in a user-pays fashion. The philosophy may be detrimental to certain service professions, such as social work, and to vulnerable segments of society.

To find out if this is indeed the case, the EU funded the NL_SOCIAL project. Including three EU partners, and one each from India, South Africa and Russia, the three-year consortium will conclude in March 2015.

The purpose is to examine the impact of neoliberalism on social work in the partner countries. Research will summarise the current nature of services and their policy contexts to yield best practice guidelines. The team also aims to develop tools to identify the impact of change on vulnerable populations and the social work profession.

Work during the first reporting period focused on securing ethical approvals, researcher exchange, data collection and analysis, and recruitment of PhD students. It became apparent that the proposed team was inadequately prepared for the social and political complexities of the subject, and that an expansion was required. That need, combined with the difficulty of recruiting suitable PhD students, resulted in a delay to the project's agenda, with agreement from the supervising committee.

One team member has completed her PhD, and six others are developing research skills. In addition, the project has developed and promoted a series of web-based presentations, with audience interaction supported through social media. The project's dissemination actions, including conference presentations and several papers having been accepted for publication, have stimulated debate within the social work field.

By its conclusion, NL_SOCIAL will have advanced the research skill base and promoted debate about new paradigms within social work circles. The project will also have answered questions surrounding the social effects of neoliberalism.