MACMILLAN Social Policy, Social Welfare and Scandal: How British Public Policy is Made

Product Description This book explores the complex relationship between public policy and scandal. By critically examining some of the landmark scandals of the post war period, using a variety of contemporary records and by close examination of the public inquiries which followed, this book describes the process whereby scandals are constructed and pursued, and demonstrates how scandals coincide with key shifts in public policy, in ways that are more complex and reciprocal than might first appear. Review 'This is an original and thought-provoking book which is very much to be welcomed.' - Social Policy 'For those who have concerns about the development of policy and the media representation of social work and social care, this is an important book.' - Brian Littlechild, University of Hertfordshire '...a significant and timely contribution to our understanding of how public policy is made.' - Karin Crawford, Children & Society 'Butler and Drakeford present a convincing account of the peculiar significance of public scandal in this well-written and clearly constructed volume.' - Sir William Utting, The Mental Health Review About the Author IAN BUTLER is a qualified social worker with considerable practice and managerial experience. He has worked in residential and field settings, mainly with children and their families, in the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors. He also worked as a parliamentary research assistant for members of the Labour Party before taking up a post as a lecturer in Social Work Studies at Cardiff before moving to Keele University where he is now Professor of Social Work. Together with Mark Drakeford, he is currently Editor of the British Journal of Social Work. MARK DRAKEFORD is a senior lecturer in social policy and applied social sciences at the University of Wales, Cardiff. For fifteen years, he worked as a probation officer and community development worker. Together with Ian Butler, he is current editor of the British Journal of Social Work. Since 2000, he has been seconded to work as the Cabinet's health and social policy adviser, and special adviser to the First Minister at the National Assembly for Wales.