Is Community Social Intervention a good Starting point for radical social change towards social justice? A reflection about the political-ideological context of community social intervention in the United Kingdom

Abstract

This article aims to offer a reflection on the complexity of the relationship between the Welfare State, community social intervention, and political ideology, in light of the example of the United Kingdom. To this end, it analyses the ideologies underlying the social policies of community social intervention in the country since the second half of the 20th century, paying particular attention to the most recent developments related to the UK's loneliness policy (implemented since 2018). Based on this analysis, the article then addresses the question of whether community social intervention can and should promote radical social change towards social justice in contemporary democratic societies. Following the professional and ethical standards for social work and community development practice in the UK and globally, and considering data on prevailing inequality in the country, it is argued that pursuing this radical change should indeed be a primary goal of contemporary community social intervention. Although often promoted by governments as a form of self-help that does not challenge the social order, community social intervention has an inherent radical potential by bringing people together to solve social problems, fostering awareness of the structural causes of their disadvantage through dialogue.