In Whose Interest?

Ray Jones is emeritus professor of social work at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London. He has more than 40 years experience as a social worker and has been a director of social services, chief executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, and chair of the British Association of Social Workers. He is a frequent media columnist and commentator and the author of six books, including the best selling ‘The Story of Baby P: Setting the Record Straight’ (Policy Press 2014). In 2017 he received the Social Worker of the Year Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Work.

• Introduction;Part 1: The recent history;How did we get here? The recent moves to privatise children's social services and social work;Creeping political control: the Children and Social Work Bill and anti-professionalism;The key players and their networks;Part 2: The long haul;The formation of the welfare state and its 1980s rejection by Thatcher;Thatchers levers and emchanism to promote marketisation and privatisation;Blair and New Labour's contribution to the journey;Cameron, the Coalition and the Conservatives: Cambornism and enhanced Thatcherism;Part 3: The impact of privatisation;Privatisation of public services and the undermining of the welfare state;The experience and outcomes of privatising public services;The impact to date of the privatisation of social care, social services and social work;Part 4: Changing course;No to Tina: an alternative journey for social work and children's social services.

"Ray remains one of the most knowledgeable and authoritative voices on social work in England today. In this book he effectively charts the dangerous and increasing influx of privatisation into the sector led by years of missguided political ideology. As the commercial commodification of care and social work continues and the Government seeks to strangle the profession this is a timely book that should act as a stark warning to anyone who mistakenly believes that profit driven services will protect the vulnerable." Emma Lewell-Buck, MP