ABSTRACT
The political aspect of the contemporary social work role is clear to see. Much of it is prescribed by statute and related guidance which set parameters on the role and scope of any intervention. Duties can include, inter alia, the assessment and application for detention of someone under mental health legislation, intervention into family life which can result in the removal of a child from its carers, the allocation of scarce resources to those deemed to meet the department’s eligibility criteria (which also entails refusing resources to those deemed ineligible) and the assessment of prospective adoptive or foster parents.
