Care as a relational practice: The possibility of solidary authority

Creating helping relationships is central to the social work profession. However, there is very little research knowledge about how care is practiced relationally in contexts characterised by statutory authority and elements of control/coercion. This knowledge is pertinent in the light of neoliberal agendas in social work that challenge the possibilities for establishing relationships of care. By drawing on empirical examples and Rosa’s concepts of ‘resonance’ and ‘adaptive transformation’, this chapter offers insight into the relational features of care in social work with children and families. The examples show how social workers struggle to use their authority to care holistically for the needs of children and families in a context that is increasingly focused on exercising authority as clear boundaries and centred on the needs of the child, while distributing less understanding and support to the parents. This leads to the introduction of the concept ‘solidary authority’ as a starting point for understanding care in social work. This concept inserts care practices in the context of the authority and power of the welfare state, and it is argued that advanced capitalist welfare states actualise an intense struggle for enabling solidary authority. Thereby, it becomes an open question when and how solidary authority is possible in specific contexts.