Translating the social justice ideals of social work into practice can pose significant challenges for new social work graduates in contemporary contexts that are characterised by rationalism, individualism and control. This paper contributes to the debate on the place of activism in social work education by addressing the question of how social work education prepares students to manage ‘moral distress’ [Weinberg, M. 2009. "Moral Distress: A Missing but Relevant Concept for Ethics in Social Work." Canadian Social Work Review 26 : (...) 139-151; Fine, M., and E. Teram. 2013. "Overt and Covert Ways of Responding to Moral Injustices in Social Work Practice: Heroes and Mild-Mannered Social Work Bipeds." British Journal of Social Work 43. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcs056 ] and respond to social injustices that they may encounter in their work with individuals, families and communities. Drawing on our experiences as social work educators at an Australian and an Irish university, we examine how beginning practitioners negotiate the challenges, risks and moral dilemmas of social change practices across different organisational and policy contexts. We discuss three reoccurring themes as important for students as emerging practitioners: recognising risks, acknowledging moral ‘dissonance’ in a critically reflexive manner and understanding that all social work takes place in a policy context and therefore engaging with policy is a fundamental element of practice. Our analysis concludes that ideas and expositions of activism based on nuanced, flexible and opportunistic social change practices offer significant but realistic possibilities for engaged social work practice. (shrink)

This article analyses the negative ethical impact of privatisation, alongside the ongoing marketisation of social care and social work provision for children and young people in England. It critically appraises the implications of a market-based formal social care system, which includes the risk-averse and often detached role of social workers within ever more fragmented sectors of care. Analysis begins with a discussion of background policy and context. The tendency towards ‘service user’ objectification and commodification are then detailed, followed by a (...) discussion of the limiting of choice for service users. Service and social fragmentation, and the often severely restricted ‘life chances’ of many children and young people in care, are then deliberated. The concluding discussion reiterates the ethical implications of marketisation in relation to ethical frameworks, including those associated with autonomy, informed choice, social exclusion and social justice. The tendency towards children increasingly being utilised as a means to an end within business-orientated sectors of care is highlighted, alongside moral questions asked about the State’s purpose in providing a community of support. (shrink)