Abstract
There is very little evidence of radical politics within social work and community development in Aotearoa/New Zealand where social workers here are caught in the constricting grasp of professionalism. Community development is strictly confined through funder capture and the “no politics” embargo of the Charities Commission. These realities sit comfortably within the oppressions perpetrated by neoliberalism. Professionalism is not compatible with a fight against the neoliberal status quo. The fight against poverty and its social consequences should be the focus of social work and community development. Within the professional paradigm, social workers have become increasingly irrelevant to the people they work with. An alternative paradigm is needed to make social work relevant. The paradigm shift advocated here is to replace professionalism with competent solidarity.This extended viewpoint article provides a definition of competent solidarity and considers the implications of competent solidarity in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It will then discuss the problems that emerge within professional social work and apolitical community development. Competent solidarity case studies from within Auckland Action Against Poverty are provided and opportunities for future action are discussed.
Highlights
My thinking around competent solidarity began with a rejection of professional social work
Professional social work is taught as if it exists within a political vacuum, largely devoid of class analysis and is incapable of addressing issues of poverty and oppression
People come to Action Against Poverty (AAAP) because of their current experience of poverty and of the toxic culture which exists within Work and Income. This is their experience of the economic system; it is their experience of being working class which forms the basis of our shared political interest in changing an oppressive system
Summary
My thinking around competent solidarity began with a rejection of professional social work. There is a need to include explicit critiques of neoliberal capitalism which link class, poverty, conflict theories and Te Tiriti o Waitangi to provide a solid basis for a more relevant model of social work. AAAP is an explicitly political organisation which puts competent solidarity into practice Competence in this context means having a set of skills, knowledge and experience which will enable engagement with people to address the issues identified by them. This is their experience of the economic system; it is their experience of being working class which forms the basis of our shared political interest in changing an oppressive system. Benefit advocacy is part of a continuum of political advocacy and is often the beginning of wider political
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