Democratising Social Work – A Key Element of Innovation: From ‘client’ as object, to service user as producer

The aim of this discussion is to put participation in social work in ideological, historical and theoretical context. To do this, it will consider social work in the broader context of social policy and identify the two dominant modern political discourses which initially in the UK, but also beyond have provided the context for this discussion. While the discussion comes primarily from a UK perspective, it has wider ramifications, both for European and international situations more generally. The article outlines the development of counter discourses from social care and welfare service users. It also explores the two key competing ideologies which have underpinned different models and understandings of participation and examine the implications of these different approaches to participation, considering their regressive and liberatory potential. It will begin to examine the possibilities and problems now being highlighted for participation in social work in theory and practice, taking the UK as a case study with wider implications.