The impact of bureaucracy and managerialism on relationship-based practise: A mixed methods study of frontline social work in Northern Ireland

Abstract

Combining quantitative data from a national survey (n = 252) with qualitative interviews with frontline social workers (n = 16), this manuscript examines the ways in which bureaucracy and managerialism has impacted social work in Northern Ireland, with specific attention to relationship-based practise. Although policy documents emphasise the importance of relationship-based practise, quantitative and qualitative data demonstrate social workers are spending increasingly more time on administrative tasks to the detriment of direct work with service users. A whole institutional response is necessary to develop conditions conducive to placing relationships at the heart of practise, and promotion in practise guidelines and policy documents alone is insufficient.