Social workers who move into private practice: The impact of the socio-economic context

This paper is based on a doctoral research project, conducted in New Zealan d between 1993 and 1999, that considered factors in the movement of social workers into private practice (van Heugten, 1999). The study employed a qua litative methodology in which 33 private practitioners were interviewed usi ng semi-structured questionnaires. All respondents had at least a first pro fessional qualification in social work. The research grew from a realizatio n that there had been an upsurge in private practice since the mid-1980s, d uring a time of increasingly right wing government policies, and free marke t philosophies. These policies and philosophies led to a radical restructur ing of government and not-for-profit organizations that employed social wor kers. Some workers responded to the changes by seeking alternatives to orga nizational employment. Concurrently opportunities for private practice were created by the availability of third party payments for counselling of sur vivors of sexual abuse and parties to marital disputes. A similar pattern o f confluence of expanding social work private practice and free market ideo logy has been noted in countries such as Great Britain and Australia. The i mplications of this movement into private practice are considered in relati on to professional social work associations.