In Defence of Actuarialism: Interrogating the Logic of Risk in Social Work Practice

Abstract

This article presents findings from a study of risk-based decision-making which challenges aspects of the well-established consensus regarding the role that actuarially generated knowledge plays in risk-based decision-making in social work. Firstly, it suggests that there is little direct relationship between the process of risk assessment and its outcome. Secondly, it highlights that subjective practitioner judgement plays a role in elevating risk levels beyond those which actuarial calculations warrant. Finally, although risk aversion is evident, this cannot be reductively attributed to actuarial knowledge generation strategies. Instead, it is a function of practice in an environment in which fear of blame is a very real concern. I conclude with discussion of the implications of these findings for ongoing debates regarding forms of knowledge in practice.

Keywords:

• risk
• actuarialism
• social work
• decision-making

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Hardy

Mark Hardy, PhD, is a senior lecturer in social work at the University of York. He has published widely on the role of knowledge in practice. His most recent book is the four volume SAGE Major Work on Social work research, edited with Jeanne Marsh (University of Chicago) and Ian Shaw (National University of Singapore). With Martin Webber (University of York), he is co-editor of the forthcoming Mental health social work: The art and science of practice (Routledge). [email: [email protected]]