SAMENVATTING CURRENT ISSUES OF
When we talk about risk, we aren’t talking about something that already happened but something
SOCIAL WORK
happen we want to avoid.
1. INTRODUCTION
DEALING WITH ‘RISK’ IN A ‘RISK SOCIETY’?
EXAMPLES
RISKS TO OUR PSYCHICAL WELLBEING/HEALTH
- Hidden risks of sitting
o Students or people who have a job at a desk where they sit to long
o Know these risks and do something about it
- Risk of Covid
o Who are the risk groups
o Vulnerability
RISKS TO OUR MENTAL WELLBEING/HEALTH
- Risk of burning out at work
MEASURING RISKS
ACE-Score (Adversed Childhood Experiences) = the things you experienced as a
child
- Life with a single parent, household situation, poverty, health issues,..
- Depending on how many adversed experiences you had, you get a certain
ACE-score
- If you have a high ACE-score, you have an increased risk to have certain
health problems
Some matters are labelled as risks, but it is debatable whether they actually
constitute risks (multiple sexual partners) importance of being critical
MEASURING RISKS (AND PROFITING FROM IT)
Some organizations use it to profit from it. There is almost an economic industry
around it. The mindset of knowing your risk and dealing with risk is quite present
in our society.
FROM INDIVIDUALS AT RISK TO POPULATIONS AT RISK
TO SOCIETY AT RISK
,NEGOTIATING DIFFERENT RISKS
RISK SOCIETY
- A way to describe our modern society, based on the work of sociologists Ulrich
Beck (German) and Anthony Giddens (British)
- A society that is focused on knowing and managing risk
“Modern society has become a risk society in the sense that it is increasingly
occupied with debating, preventing and managing risks that it itself has
produced.” (Beck, 2006, p. 332)
“The idea of risk is bound up with the aspiration to control and particularly with
the idea of controlling the future. (...) The idea of ‘risk society’ might suggest a
world which has become more hazardous, but this is not necessarily so.
Rather, it is a society increasingly preoccupied with the future (and also with
safety), which generates the notion of risk.” (Giddens, 1999, p. 3)
- Concept gained traction in the ’90’s
- Modernization: industrial society
- Industrial and technological advancements
- Focus on economic growth, producing wealth, redistributing ‘goods’
- Reflexive modernization: risk society
- Society becomes aware of the risks and dangers that come with
industrialization
- Focus on redistributing ‘bads’ or risks
RISKS RELATED TO CLIMATE, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, ..
RISK IN SOCIAL & PUBLIC SERVICES
There is an increasing tendency in social and public services to focus on those
individuals or populations that are
1. ‘at risk’ (vulnerable, in need of care) to avoid future poblems and dangers
FOR them
2. ‘a risk’ (potentially dangerous) to avoid future problems and dangers. OF
them Or at/a risk at the same time! Example: the ‘tsunami of burn-outs’.
(Broadhurst, 2010; Pollack, 2010)
RISK IN EDUCATION
RISK IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
RISK IN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE
RISK IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE
, RISK IN CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
AND IN MANY OTHER SOCIAL DOMAINS
IN THIS COURSE
- Focus on risk and related concepts (danger, safety, vulnerability,
prevention...)
- In different professional contexts in social and public services
- Understanding risk thinking + develop a critical perspective!
- Through the lens of some helpful theories, methodologies, texts, & cases
- Develop your own position
QUESTIONS TO TAKE WITH US
- How can we understand our society as a ‘risk society’ ?
- Who or what is considered ‘at risk’ / ‘a risk’ ?
- How do we deal with ‘risk’ in public and social services?
- Is this focus on ‘risk’ useful? Why (not)?
- How can we take a critical position as a social professional in this ‘risk
society’?
2. A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE ON RISK
DOMINANTE AANPAK TEGENOVER RISICO’S IN SOCIALE EN PUBLIEKE DIENSTE N
VAN RECHTEN NAAR RISICO’S: DE EVOLUTIE VAN DE WELVAARTSTAAT
- Vroeger was de welvaartsstaat vooral rechten-georiënteerd:
o Hoe kunnen sociale diensten nodige ondersteuning bieden?
o Hoe beschermen we de rechten van burgers?
- Vandaag is er een verschuiving naar een risico-georiënteerde welvaartsstaat:
o Hoe kunnen sociale diensten maatschappij beschermen?
o Hoe gaan we om met groepen die zowel kwetsbaar zijn (“at risk”) als
mogelijk gevaarlijk (“a risk”)?
- Voorbeelden van groepen die in beide categorieën vallen:
o Jongeren met gedragsproblemen
o Mensen met een verslaving
o Mensen met psychische problemen
o Mensen in armoede
o Gedetineerden
o Mensen met obesitas of andere medische condities
o School drop-outs
- Deze groepen worden gezien als:
o “at risk” → ze hebben zorg en bescherming nodig
When we talk about risk, we aren’t talking about something that already happened but something
SOCIAL WORK
happen we want to avoid.
1. INTRODUCTION
DEALING WITH ‘RISK’ IN A ‘RISK SOCIETY’?
EXAMPLES
RISKS TO OUR PSYCHICAL WELLBEING/HEALTH
- Hidden risks of sitting
o Students or people who have a job at a desk where they sit to long
o Know these risks and do something about it
- Risk of Covid
o Who are the risk groups
o Vulnerability
RISKS TO OUR MENTAL WELLBEING/HEALTH
- Risk of burning out at work
MEASURING RISKS
ACE-Score (Adversed Childhood Experiences) = the things you experienced as a
child
- Life with a single parent, household situation, poverty, health issues,..
- Depending on how many adversed experiences you had, you get a certain
ACE-score
- If you have a high ACE-score, you have an increased risk to have certain
health problems
Some matters are labelled as risks, but it is debatable whether they actually
constitute risks (multiple sexual partners) importance of being critical
MEASURING RISKS (AND PROFITING FROM IT)
Some organizations use it to profit from it. There is almost an economic industry
around it. The mindset of knowing your risk and dealing with risk is quite present
in our society.
FROM INDIVIDUALS AT RISK TO POPULATIONS AT RISK
TO SOCIETY AT RISK
,NEGOTIATING DIFFERENT RISKS
RISK SOCIETY
- A way to describe our modern society, based on the work of sociologists Ulrich
Beck (German) and Anthony Giddens (British)
- A society that is focused on knowing and managing risk
“Modern society has become a risk society in the sense that it is increasingly
occupied with debating, preventing and managing risks that it itself has
produced.” (Beck, 2006, p. 332)
“The idea of risk is bound up with the aspiration to control and particularly with
the idea of controlling the future. (...) The idea of ‘risk society’ might suggest a
world which has become more hazardous, but this is not necessarily so.
Rather, it is a society increasingly preoccupied with the future (and also with
safety), which generates the notion of risk.” (Giddens, 1999, p. 3)
- Concept gained traction in the ’90’s
- Modernization: industrial society
- Industrial and technological advancements
- Focus on economic growth, producing wealth, redistributing ‘goods’
- Reflexive modernization: risk society
- Society becomes aware of the risks and dangers that come with
industrialization
- Focus on redistributing ‘bads’ or risks
RISKS RELATED TO CLIMATE, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY, ..
RISK IN SOCIAL & PUBLIC SERVICES
There is an increasing tendency in social and public services to focus on those
individuals or populations that are
1. ‘at risk’ (vulnerable, in need of care) to avoid future poblems and dangers
FOR them
2. ‘a risk’ (potentially dangerous) to avoid future problems and dangers. OF
them Or at/a risk at the same time! Example: the ‘tsunami of burn-outs’.
(Broadhurst, 2010; Pollack, 2010)
RISK IN EDUCATION
RISK IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
RISK IN CHILD AND YOUTH CARE
RISK IN MENTAL HEALTH CARE
, RISK IN CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
AND IN MANY OTHER SOCIAL DOMAINS
IN THIS COURSE
- Focus on risk and related concepts (danger, safety, vulnerability,
prevention...)
- In different professional contexts in social and public services
- Understanding risk thinking + develop a critical perspective!
- Through the lens of some helpful theories, methodologies, texts, & cases
- Develop your own position
QUESTIONS TO TAKE WITH US
- How can we understand our society as a ‘risk society’ ?
- Who or what is considered ‘at risk’ / ‘a risk’ ?
- How do we deal with ‘risk’ in public and social services?
- Is this focus on ‘risk’ useful? Why (not)?
- How can we take a critical position as a social professional in this ‘risk
society’?
2. A CRITICAL PERSPECTIVE ON RISK
DOMINANTE AANPAK TEGENOVER RISICO’S IN SOCIALE EN PUBLIEKE DIENSTE N
VAN RECHTEN NAAR RISICO’S: DE EVOLUTIE VAN DE WELVAARTSTAAT
- Vroeger was de welvaartsstaat vooral rechten-georiënteerd:
o Hoe kunnen sociale diensten nodige ondersteuning bieden?
o Hoe beschermen we de rechten van burgers?
- Vandaag is er een verschuiving naar een risico-georiënteerde welvaartsstaat:
o Hoe kunnen sociale diensten maatschappij beschermen?
o Hoe gaan we om met groepen die zowel kwetsbaar zijn (“at risk”) als
mogelijk gevaarlijk (“a risk”)?
- Voorbeelden van groepen die in beide categorieën vallen:
o Jongeren met gedragsproblemen
o Mensen met een verslaving
o Mensen met psychische problemen
o Mensen in armoede
o Gedetineerden
o Mensen met obesitas of andere medische condities
o School drop-outs
- Deze groepen worden gezien als:
o “at risk” → ze hebben zorg en bescherming nodig
