Selling social work by the pound? The pros and cons of agency care management

Abstract

This article considers the experiences of a small group of agency care managers (n = 23) working in London and the north of England. It was discovered that employment for occupationally migrant care managers can provide access to a potentially rich source of knowledge and skills, as well as a diverse and sometimes stimulating form of irregular employment. However, it was also discovered that work intensification, job insecurity and limited time spent with users and carers were common, and this further intensified the deskilling and lack of discretion which is common for many care managers. It is concluded that the increase in agencies that supply care managers to social services departments (among other sectors of social care) is further evidence of the ongoing privatisation of state social work and there are important implications for social workers, users and their informal carers.