Full of hope: Poverty, social work and social services in the world we live in

Child poverty is a central consideration for social work in Aotearoa, affecting families and social service delivery and social work in many fields of practice. Working with individuals, whānau and communities to enable them to pursue their dreams and aspirations is central to social work. Although thwarted from time to time by neoliberal contractual requirements, the resilience of practitioners means that they can be full of hope about their work and the possibilities it holds as they work in resistance to those requirements. It is practice that means working for change at both an individual and systemic level.