‘The ‘social’ in social work

Welcome to the first issue of Nordic Social Work Research for 2023! One year has passed since this editorial team took over the rain of NSWR and we are committed to continue the tasks of developing and promiting the journal. While learning on the job, we have been trying to implement some of the visions and goals we have for the journal and its continued growth. Starting with a focus on policies and practices regarding issues related to manuscript submission and processing, we continue our work with making changes that aim at strengthening the voice of NSWR in the field of social work.

Nordic Social Work Research promotes high-quality academic discourses concerning social work as a field of knowledge, professional practice, and collective action. In this, we turn to the global definition of social work that emphasizes the promotion of ‘social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work’. (https://www.ifsw.org/what-is-social-work/global-definition-of-social-work/). We remind ourselves about this definition in the wake of many changes occurring in the field of professional social work. With this issue, we bring attention to the contemporary discourses regarding social work practice and the meaning of ‘social’ in social work.

Social work as a field of professional practice faces similar structural and institutional frames currently shaping and changing the conditions of work for professionals more broadly speaking. The process of marketization, effectivization, bureaucracy and increased volumes of administration are some of the forces redefining numerous professions and workplaces. Yet, social work is also about ‘the social’- society, community, groups, fellowship, relationships, and humanity. How do these values cohere with the transformations changing terms and conditions of contemporary work? The articles included in this issue may provide some food for thought here.

One of the greatest trends in the organization and provision of welfare services in recent years has been the adoption of a new institutional logic of New Public Management (NPM). While NPM may be seen as bringing more structure and organization to social work, its focus on competitiveness and cost control seems damaging to social work, as Stenius and Storbjörk (2021) emphasize. Increasingly, «actual» social work, as the authors highlight, is being lost behind new bureaucratic forms to be filled and measurable outcomes to be produced. This can result in a waste of valuable resources and time, in turn leading to the increased use of agency social workers called upon to fill in staffing gaps. In the context of Nordic welfare states with a well-established public sector, this tendency may have far-reaching consequences for not only redefining the relationships between the public and private sectors but also the quality of services and positioning of social work clients (Shanks and Mejdell Bjerland 2021).

New forms of welfare organization and provision are also related to the new ways of defining social work and its main task. Fjellfeldt’s (2021) analysis of mental health care policies in Sweden demonstrates a troubling tendency to approach social problems in terms of individual problems, neglecting in this way social and structural conditions. Increasingly, it becomes evident that «individuals are to be changed» (p.11), but not structures or societal relations. Moberg (2021) adds to that by critically examining models of user choice. Not only are individuals placed in the centre of interventions, but they are also made responsible for securing the quality of services. Thus, the attractiveness of principles of local responsibility and freedom of choice may have their dark sides as well. In a similar vein, models of shared decision-making (SDM) adopted from the field of health care to social work aiming at promoting participation and cooperation, may not always reach their full potential (Nykänen, Schön, and Björk 2022). As Nykänen, Schön, and Björk (2022) emphasize, while the ideological foundations of such models are appealing, their practical implementation and organization within current social work may not always bring desired effects and it may actually become another administrative task to complete.

The voices of social work professionals, political and legislative discourses around social welfare are supplemented in this issue with the voices of users who share their experiences and expectations regarding social work. Wathne’s (2021) study of physical pain as a means of communication demonstrates the severe consequences of a system that fails to recognize people in their own right. Here, the meaning of ‘social’ becomes paramount. There are the social relations, contacts, and friends that matter most to people and determine their quality of life and happiness (Chalachanová, Jaeger Fjetland, and Gjermestad 2021; Johansson et al. 2021). Welfare workers are in this context expected to act as ‘a supportive relational structure’ (Chalachanová, Jaeger Fjetland, and Gjermestad 2021, 8). Interestingly, when asked specifically about the best practices and approaches to social work, health and welfare professionals promote a similar vision, by mentioning the importance of patience, creativity, flexibility, and care in their professional practice (Ayoub, Udo, and Randell 2021). Although social workers must in their practice take on various roles and positions, it becomes evident that they need ‘to be present as a human being in the professional relationship’ (Alrø and Dahl 2021). Social work is a dialogical process, and it is through mutual understanding and communication that adequate services and assistance may emerge (Mönkkönen and Kekoni 2021).

Social work has a great potential to transform unequal social relations and structures. In this, social work may pave a way for a more just and fair society. Its potential relates not only to counteracting of social problems but also to a proactive action towards socially valued norms. As Stamm (2021) emphasizes, social work may be at the forefront of changes leading to more sustainable lifestyles and social relations. Thanks to its deep embeddedness in the norms of social justice and equality, social work holds an important position in such changes. It is social work’s adherence to ‘the social’ that is needed to reach its full potential. The articles included in this issue not only provide a wealth of examples on what happens when ‘the social’ of social work is lost behind administrative processes but also draw attention to the organizational conditions that are essential for ‘the social’ to thrive.

We are committed to ‘the social’ of social work as a principle organizing our task of developing and promoting the journal. Regarding it as a highly collaborative task, we therefore call for new members of our International Editorial Board, who would like to join us on this exciting journey. We also invite new reviewers who are interested in serving NSWR with their expertise and knowledge in social work research. More information and details about both calls can be found on the journal’s webpage. The new year beings also with a call for papers for a special issue on Coordinated Interventions Against Violence in Close Relationships. That call pays special attention to theoretically and practically relevant research that can aid social workers and other professionals in supporting abused adults and children.