The judgment in Re W (A child): national and international implications for contemporary child and family social work

Journal article


Higgins, MM (2019). The judgment in Re W (A child): national and international implications for contemporary child and family social work. British Journal of Social Work. 49 (1), pp. 44-58. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy018
AuthorsHiggins, MM
Abstract

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in the British Journal of Social Work following peer review. The version of record Martyn Higgins; The Judgment in Re W (A child): National and International Implications for Contemporary Child and Family Social Work, The British Journal of Social Work, , bcy018, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy018is available online at: https://academic.oup.com/bjsw/advance-article/doi/10.1093/bjsw/bcy01...

This paper argues that contemporary child and family social work in England and some other states in Europe needs an ethical ‘turn’. This paper considers the facts in the Re W judgment and identifies certain features in the case that can be understood as products resulting from a particular paradigm of social work in contemporary practice. National and international implications are considered and hopeful ways forward are proffered: epistemic humility, inner dialogue, and cultivating our humanity The key message of this paper is that Re W indicates that contemporary child and family social work is dominated by an ‘automatic’ thinking which tends not to ‘hear’ the voices of actual human beings and a refocusing on ethics work is needed to put humane practice back at the heart of the social work profession. Keywords: Re W, ethics work, child and family social work, social work

KeywordsRe W; ethics work; child and family social work; social work
Year2019
JournalBritish Journal of Social Work
Journal citation49 (1), pp. 44-58
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)
ISSN0045-3102
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy018
Publication dates
Print06 Apr 2018
Publication process dates
Deposited16 Apr 2018
Accepted01 Mar 2018
Accepted author manuscript
License
File Access Level
Open
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https://openresearch.lsbu.ac.uk/item/86v6x

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Redraft_Re_W_anon_122.docx
License: CC BY 4.0
File access level: Open

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