Time matters: changes in the time horizon in social services for vulnerable children and their families in Denmark in an era of productivity and competition

ABSTRACT

This article is concerned with the development of social work in advanced capitalist welfare states, where gaining competitive advantages has become the primary goal of public governance and management expressed in a strong focus on competition and productivity. The aim of the article is to contribute to filling out a gap in knowledge about how this affect social services and social work. More specifically, the article present findings from a qualitative study of social services and social work with vulnerable families in Denmark. The study shows how a focus on productivity and competition expressed in public reforms and incentives to promote short-term services fosters a subtle and almost invisible reorganisation of social services changing the time horizon of social work. Time becomes both expanded and compressed demanding social workers to include more potentialities for facilitating future change in the present, without getting more actual time, and consequently they must think and act differently regarding how they perceive and spend time. Certain forms of knowledge and practices regarding the families’ life world risk becoming ‘a waste of time’ if social workers do not compensate, either by ‘keeping the families a little longer’ or by being ‘a little disobedient’. Thus, time matters!

ABSTRAKT

Denne artikel beskæftiger sig med udviklingen af socialt arbejde i kapitalistiske velfærdsstater, hvor konkurrencemæssige fordele er blevet det primære mål for offentlig styring og ledelse og kommer til udtryk i et stærkt fokus på konkurrence og produktivitet. Formålet med artiklen at bidrage til viden om, hvordan sådanne forventninger påvirker sociale indsatser og socialt arbejde. Mere specifikt præsenterer artiklen fund fra et kvalitativt studie af sociale indsatser og socialt arbejde med udsatte familier i Danmark. Studiet viser, hvordan fokusset på konkurrence og produktivitet skaber en subtil og næste usynlig reorganisering af sociale indsatser, som ændrer tidshorisonten i socialt arbejde. Tiden bliver både udvidet og komprimeret samt fordrer, at socialarbejdere inkluderer flere potentialer for at faciliterer fremtidige forandringer i nutiden, uden at de får mere reel tid. Som følge heraf må de tænke og handle anderledes med hensyn til, hvordan de opfatter og bruger tid. Visse former for viden og praksisser begrundet i familiernes livsverden risikerer at blive opfattet som ’spild af tid’, hvis socialarbejderne ikke kompenserer, enten ved at ’beholde familierne lidt længere’ eller ved at være ’en smule ulydig’. Så tid har betydning!

KEYWORDS:

• Time
• social work
• competition
• productivity
• child welfare

NØGLEORD:

• Tid
• Socialt Arbejde
• Konkurrence
• Produktivitet
• børns velfærd

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maria Appel Nissen

Maria Appel Nissen, (f. 1971), PhD in Sociology and Associate Professor in Social Work, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University, Denmark. Experienced researcher in social work, social theory, social problems, social services and social work with vulnerable families. Head of Bachelor of Social Work. Project manager of Views on Human Being in Social Work – Welfare Policies, Technologies and Knowledge (2014–2019), Does Social Work Care? Exploring the relational, emotional and embodied practices in social services for vulnerable children and their families (2018–2021). Head of research group SCOPAS – Shaping Concepts, Practices and Advances in Social Work.