ABSTRACT
This chapter explores an emerging area of social work practice in the UK, namely its increasing role in counter-terrorism activities. It examines the policy context within which social work in the UK, and many other professions, has become legally mandated to identify and prevent violent extremism and terrorism, and report and/or work with, families or individuals where there are concerns about radicalisation and extremism. The chapter considers the UK counter terrorism and policy context. It focuses on to consider securitisation theory is a useful explanatory framework to critically appraise current UK social policy directives that impact decisively on social work in the UK, before returning to the issue of securitised safeguarding. Securitisation theory focuses on the process by which a state actor, using “speech acts” transforms a matter of concern in to an issue of security. Social work is rightly proud of its traditions of social justice, emancipation and concerns over oppression and discrimination.
