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Over the last decades, transparency about what is happening on the ground has become a hot topic in the field of social work. Despite the importance of transparent social work, the realisation in practice is far from obvious. In order to create this transparency for a diversity of stakeholders, legislative bodies and human services increasingly rely on so-called electronic information systems. However, it remains unclear how frontline managers make use of these systems to create this transparent practice and which obstacles they might experience in doing so. Based on empirical data collected in Flanders (Belgium), we argue that frontline managers as well as practitioners, when confronted with the obligation to use electronic information systems to document their actions and create transparency, find a beneficial element in using such a tool for the purpose of transparency. However, we also argue that the idea of transparency through documenting human service practices by the use of electronic information systems seems to be nuanced, as tension or ambiguity occurs in daily practice. Our data show that many aspects of the service user's life story become invisible because the documenting system is unable to grasp its complexity, resulting in a lack of transparency.

Over the last decades, transparency about what is happening on the ground has become a hot topic in the field of social work. Despite the importance of transparent social work, the realisation in practice is far from obvious. In order to create this transparency for a diversity of stakeholders, legislative bodies and human services increasingly rely on so-called electronic information systems. However, it remains unclear how frontline managers make use of these systems to create this transparent practice and which obstacles they might experience in doing so. Based on empirical data collected in Flanders (Belgium), we argue that frontline managers as well as practitioners, when confronted with the obligation to use electronic information systems to document their actions and create transparency, find a beneficial element in using such a tool for the purpose of transparency. However, we also argue that the idea of transparency through documenting human service practices by the use of electronic information systems seems to be nuanced, as tension or ambiguity occurs in daily practice. Our data show that many aspects of the service user's life story become invisible because the documenting system is unable to grasp its complexity, resulting in a lack of transparency.

EnglishA children's rights approach to social work might have adverse consequences for children and parents when it ignores a view on rights as a lever for commitment and the question of how these rights can be realized in different contexts and with respect for the rights of other actors involved.FrenchUne approche de travail social centrée sur les droits des enfants peut avoir des conséquences négatives auprès des enfants et des parents lorsqu'elle ne considère pas les droits comme un levier pour l'engagement et lorsqu'elle ne tient pas compte de la façon dont ces droits peuvent s'exercer dans différents contextes et en regard des droits des autres acteurs concernés.SpanishAbordar el trabajo social desde el punto de vista de los derechos de los niños puede tener consecuencias negativas para los niños y los padres cuando ignora una visión de derechos como palanca de dedicación y compromiso, y cuando ignora el cómo los derechos pueden realizarse en distintos contextos respetando los derechos de otros actores.

AbstractDeciding about priority cases in waiting lists is a controversial activity. However, it is a well-known challenge for many social workers. This article addresses two questions related to this problem: how do social workers, as moral agents, experience the policy context in which they must prioritise cases, and what stance do they take towards it? Building on a previous study where a practice of case prioritisation was observed, semi-structured interviews were conducted (n = 11) to explore these questions. The data were analysed through an inductive process of deepening interpretation. The findings paint a picture of ambivalence: the professionals adhere to the policy guidelines of neutrality, priority for the worst-off and equal application of criteria, which are at the same time contradicted by their lived experience. The decision-making process appears to be much more contextual, particularistic and interpretative than the policy guidelines suggest. Questions are raised as to why this reality remains hidden after a discourse of simple rule-following.

Abstract
During recent decades, the notion of transparency has become a guiding framework in social work policy and practice. Transparency is often approached in this context as a managerial notion. In this article, we approach transparency as a relational notion, a key attitude in social work. Relation transparency is a prerequisite for achieving democratic partnership with service users and their family and social network. Transparency as a key attitude of the social worker is often taken for granted, both by practitioners and policymakers. In the first face of our action research, we found that the way in which transparency is realised in the everyday practice of social work is a major challenge. After discussing the shift from a managerial to a relational notion of transparency, we analyse the various polarities social workers have to deal with in order to develop a transparent practice vis-à-vis service users. The question is whether we repeatedly fall into the trap of thinking that these dilemmas can be resolved instead of looking for ways to deal with them in daily practice without losing the fundamental values and ethical standards that social work represents.

AbstractSocial work literature suggests that three depoliticisation tendencies characterise the youngest generation of social workers. First, they exhibit less interest in the structural level of social problems. Secondly, they are supposed to incline towards the idea of welfare conditionality. And thirdly, they are evolving towards increasingly shallow technical, box-ticking professionals. As such, this generation of social workers seems to conform with a policy climate in which social justice is increasingly under pressure. It is our contention that this debate is one-sided and negative. It dismisses the perspective of the social workers themselves. For organisations in social work, it might appear paradoxical that the youngest generation of social workers—although submersed in the context of workfare—hold the key to revising institutional processes and guidelines. Based on generational theory, however, we argue that social work needs to consider the ability of the newest generation to signal procedural and institutional barriers that hinder the pursuit of social justice.