Managing human services in a market environment: What role for social workers?

International research suggests that the market reform of human services is leading to reduced opportunities for social workers to achieve organizational management positions. This paper explores the future of social workers as managers of human service organizations. It examines the tensions between the social justice principles that guide social work and the emerging contexts of social welfare management. The exploration draws on in-depth interviews with thirty-four social welfare managers working in the non-profit sector in Australia. These managers were identified by their peers as progressive, that is, as championing social justice values such as access, equity and social inclusion. This paper will report on their approaches to social welfare management and their perceptions of the threats and opportunities for progressive management practices in a climate of public sector reform. The paper will consider how social work educators can better prepare service professionals for social welfare management positions.