Ethics: Critical and Radical Debates in Social Work

The past few years have seen a renewed interest in social work ethics, and this volume argues that this phenomenon can be seen as reflecting two very different agendas. On the one hand, this interest is part of a progressive movement that critiques market-oriented approaches to managing the public sector—often called New Public Management (NPM)—by emphasizing the role of social workers as agents for social justice. On the other hand, the growth of interest in ethics could be viewed as part of the NPM and its efforts toward controlling the conduct of professionals and service users. The contributors explore both of these viewpoints, emphasizing the importance of reclaiming professional ethics for social work and outlining a preliminary framework for doing so.