Be ready for the clash of powers: theorising power for teaching policy practice in social work

Abstract

Discussions of and trainings on policy practice in social work often focus on the normative and technical aspects of this type of social work intervention. Discussions do not delve sufficiently into concepts and aspects of politics, such as power, which are staple in the political science discourse. This theoretical article proposes situational, relational, and more individualistic conceptions of power relations that may be utilised in teaching policy practice in social work. The proposed understanding of power relations offers a method of training social work students to become well-prepared policy actors, and focuses on six areas of teaching policy practice: conscious analysis of the context of interaction with other actors; reflection on power differentials; the purposeful development of one’s power differentials; thoughtful work with symbols of power; the selection of appropriate strategies for managing power clash and gaining power; and the new ethical issues connected with the above areas. Social work scholars and educators can utilise the offered conceptual frame for teaching future social work practitioners how to promote changes in particular social work institutional settings.