Doing Critical Social Work: Transforming Practices for Social Justice

Critical social work is well established in Australian social work as a legitimate practice discourse. As Pease and his colleagues define it, critical social work “Is an umbrella term that describes a group of approaches in social work that are diverse but share a common commitment to both personal and structural change” (p. 340). Australian social workers have stood alongside colleagues internationally in developing the critical canon in social work (e.g., see Briskman, 2014; Fook, 2012; Ife, 2012)

As neoliberal discourse shapes our service systems, the need for critical social work practices seems as urgent as ever. Comprising 22 chapters, the book includes established writers in social work including leading academics and senior practitioners as well as emerging writers in the field. This edited collection provides a welcome addition to the continued development of the critical perspective in social work.

In their introductory chapter, Bob Pease and Sharlene Nipperess differentiate the book from others on radical and critical social work in its ambition to provide “specific guidance for forms and practices of critical social work” and to outline “the knowledge and skill necessary for critical practice” (pp. 3–4). The book is divided into five sections broadly aimed at addressing the tensions experienced in critical social work; the exploration of critical practices in confronting privilege and promoting social justice; the development of critical practices within specific organisational contexts; critical practice with specific groups within the community; and collective and transformative practice “in social work and beyond” (p. 15).

While the ambition of the book is to explain critical practices, it includes a great deal about the theoretical underpinnings of, and tensions within, critical practice. In many chapters, well-established debates about the tension between modernist and postmodern, post-structural approaches are revisited. These debates are presented in an innovative and open manner.

A highlight of the book are the chapters written within or about the field, in which authors share their reflections on the tensions and struggles in negotiating critical perspectives in practice. The chapters on critical social work in child protection (Robyn Miller), Centrelink (Peter Humphries), Correction Services (Sophie Goldingay), with Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners (Stephanie Gilbert), and activism (Jessica Morrison) deepened my already strong respect for how critical social workers negotiate change within challenging practice contexts. Together these chapters reflected an underpinning thread about maintaining critical hope and deploying a critical framework as a resource to negotiate the minefields of practice. As I read these practitioners’ accounts of negotiating critical change, I was mindful of Voltaire’s instruction to “not let the best be the enemy of the good.” Acknowledging that there is always more that can be done in contradictory systems they also demonstrated that meaningful change can be achieved.

A further strength of the book is the diversity of critical practice arenas considered. Contributions include insights into practice across the life course, working with people living in poverty, mental health and disability challenges, people affected by imprisonment, developing critical practices between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, asylum seekers, feminist practice, environmentalism, and practices to challenge heteronomativity. This diversity encourages us to recognise the ongoing impact of unjust social structures, particularly those related to class, gender, ethnicity and race, and disabilism, creating disadvantage in the lives of those with whom social workers’ practice.

Despite the many strengths of this book, it has some limitations in achieving its aims of providing guidance for forms and practices of critical social work practice. The reader is presented with a range of individual accounts of critical practice and there could be more about the lessons learnt about “doing” critical social work across these diverse accounts.

A second issue is the need for greater clarity about the impact of neoliberalism in shaping conditions of social work practice today. The negative impact of neoliberalism on shaping practice is a theme throughout many of the chapters yet there appeared to be contradictions in how this impact is assessed. In their introductory chapter, Pease and Nipperess (p. 12) claim that as the “majority of social workers are employed by the state, social workers must address the role of the state in reproducing dominant social relations.” Yet, this claim is at odds with the important point made by Gilbert in a later chapter that the outsourcing and transferring of these services to the nongovernment (for profit and nonprofit) organisations is undermining the conditions and quality of practice.

Thirdly, some of the contributions might be strengthened by a further consideration of the broader contexts in which social workers are located. I read with great interest Hosken, Ervin, and Laughton’s chapter on professional practice and education standards in Australia. Given my former role as National AASW President involved in both consultations and heated debates around these standards, I found the chapter lacked even-handed consideration of how the standards are developed and the broader contexts in which these standards are located. There was no acknowledgement that the standards are developed in reference to international benchmarks, required for Australian graduates to achieve international recognition and transferability of qualifications, nor that the field, particularly field educators and employers (many of whom are social workers) have contributed to these standards. Furthermore, the requirement for a minimum number of field hours and demonstrated practice outcomes, points of contention in this chapter, are required in many other health and human service professionals with whom social work graduates must compete. When this contextual information is considered, the claims about the contradictions between the AASW education, practice and ethical standards become more debatable.

Overall the book offers new insights into longstanding debates about critical practice and ways forward in improving it. It will be a useful guide for students, field educators, and practitioners in negotiating better outcomes and a more just society.