ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with some background in policy; market trends and context are provided. It examines the "commodification" of children and young people within social work and care, before discussing the influence of market-led service and professional role fragmentation. The chapter describes reduced "life chances" of children in care and some of the key ethical implications of privatization alongside some of their ties to key ethical frameworks. Since the 1980s, the privatization and marketization of social work and social care services within England and the other parts of the United Kingdom have remained a prominent policy-related reform. Until the 1980s in England and other parts of the United Kingdom, the majority of social work provision and services had been provided by local authorities within local government. Privatization within social work has led to a significantly higher proportion of separate service providers, especially in core business sectors such as residential and foster care.
