Power is a dirty word: how the denial of power hinders relational transparency in social work

Transparency, traditionally considered a management concept, has become a guiding framework in social work policy and practice. We approach transparency as a relational concept, a prerequisite for promoting a democratic partnership with service users and their families and social networks. Relational transparency is often taken for granted, both by practitioners and by policy makers, but our research shows the opposite. Social work has to constantly balance between two poles – control on the one hand and empowerment on the other – resulting in a permanent struggle in managing power dynamics. However, it is precisely the recognition of that power itself that is inherently problematic. Having examined the impact of neoliberalisation on the contemporary discourse of empowerment in social work, we examine social workers’ perceptions of power and its influence on their implementation of relational transparency. We argue that achieving relational transparency requires social workers to both acknowledge and make explicit the underlying power relations.