Competition policies in human services - A review of employment services

Abstract

This article reviews a study of the recently commercialised employment services within Australia. I t focuses on non-government organisations and examines how government competition policies have reshaped service structure and service delivery. Studying employment services provides an opportunity to understand the impact of policies that are being implemented across a wide range of human services. Community based services are under threat because the commercialised system requires an outcomes focus which conflicts at times with social justice values and service to the disadvantaged. The study found a dichotomy of views between workers who accepted the new commercialised focus and felt comfortable working within it, and those who opposed it. Social workers' reactions to these findings, when they were presented at the AASW Victorian State Conference (1998), showed a parallel division. The changes are very challenging to workers within human services who are committed to social justice. This paper explores these difficulties and looks at future directions.