My people?

Abstract

As a result of austerity measures local councils across Britain are making a range of cuts to social and public services. These cuts are often deep - and raise questions about the viability of social work practice when there are few material resources available to meet people’s needs. However, what if (or when) the cuts are disproportionately focused on projects working with minority communities - and justified because, unfortunately, these are not ‘our’ people? In this chapter Dave Stamp draws on his practice experience to look at the ways in which local councils are justifying cuts to services for minority communities - and asks what social workers should do when faced with such ‘racist cuts’.