ABSTRACT
The family occupies a central position in social work theory and practice across all sectors: not just education or children and families, but also in work with adults and in criminal justice. Much of what we think and do as social workers is underpinned by what may be unrecognised and unchallenged assumptions about the nature of the family and its relation to society. It is important, therefore, to look critically at the family and at our ideas and beliefs about it so that social work policy and practice can reflect a deeper understanding of the contradictions and complexities which characterise both family life and the relationship between the family and the state.
