The marketisation and privatisation of children’s social work and child protection: Integration or fragmentation?

Whilst the government makes progress on opening up children’s social work, including child protection, to the market place and to private and commercial businesses, there has been little comment on the strengths and weaknesses, and the opportunities and threats, of the political policy direction being pursued. In particular, what are the implications for the integration and consolidation of services, which had been the “joined-up” services policy ambition of previous governments and, for health and social care services, remain the declared ambition of the current government? The paper aims to discuss these issues.

This paper considers the potential impact on children’s social work services and child protection from the government’s policy and regulatory changes which open up all children’s social work to the market place.

Particular concerns are noted that the changes now being allowed and promoted will lead to greater fragmentation rather than integration.

This is the first paper to reflect on the government’s push and preference for the unregulated market place it created in 2014 for children’s social work, including child protection.