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Journal of Social Work
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Managing Risk and Uncertainty in Social Work

A Literature Review

Kirsten Stalker

University of Stirling, Scotland, kos1{at}stir.ac.uk

  • * Summary: This review, which draws mainly but not exclusively on UK material, explores the social work literature on managing risk and uncertainty, with emphasis on community care. Risk has become a major, if not over-arching, preoccupation in social work, reflected in a huge upsurge of written material.
  • * Findings: The article briefly traces the historical development of the concepts of risk and uncertainty and identifies a number of theoretical frameworks, noting that the risk society is marked by change, uncertainty, and a reduced faith in experts. Some commentators have drawn out the implications of these ideas for social work. At present, however, we lack a social model of risk. The article describes a continuum of risk management, marked by controlling attitudes at one end and more empowering approaches at the other. The former is evident in risk avoidance strategies, the latter in positive risk-taking; the literature on each is reviewed.
  • * Applications: The views of service users are largely absent from the literature but their role in taking and managing risks on an everyday basis should not be overlooked, nor their potential to play a more significant role in the process. Pointers for future research are identified.

Key Words: community care • risk • service users • social model of risk • uncertainty

Journal of Social Work, Vol. 3, No. 2, 211-233 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/14680173030032006
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