Kant, Bentham, Aristotle and my Grandmother: Developing the ‘caring being’ in social work: The M.C. "Terry" Hokenstad International Lecture 2017

Reflecting on the author’s life and work experiences, the bases of social work and the overall contemporary societal context, this paper considers whether social work, and we as social workers, has reduced the necessary focus on caring. This has been caused by various factors, such as codes, rules, procedures and the market. Are we thus missing vital care-giving and care-receiving in social work, in our lives, and in the whole society? In particular, the growing ageing population in some parts of the world and similarly dependent vulnerable groups appear to be seriously missing out on essential care. This growing phenomenon suggests a need to critically re-examine the evolving social processes and the bases of social work. The paper argues that the current balance within social work must be consciously modified towards a greater emphasis on human caring in all its pervasiveness. If we do not create opportunities and incentives to develop caring practices and do not contribute to creating caring societies, we shall not only allow our practice to leave much to be desired, but also may find a deep sense of emptiness in social work’s and social workers’ hearts.