The cultural context of the Care Review – Barbie or Oppenheimer? Barbenheimer?

Let’s not be tribal. Let’s take time to process the Care Review

“A set of national conditions for success needs to be in place before can even think about implementing reforms” John Pearce, ADCS President as reported in Professional Social Work (BASW) July/August 2023.

One of the possible and credible critiques of the Care Review is that it seeks to make children’s care nice and acceptable.

The Care Review does not address the ‘messiness’ of care, the awfulness of the effects trauma, abuse, deprivations, the impacts on children, and secondary accumulated effects on staff.

The cultural context of social care policy matters. The culture we live in is absorbed and we find ourselves subliminally affected.

A realisation comes to the front of thinking. It needs to be spoken.

The Care Review is a ‘Barbie view’ of care, the story line of the film is about an escape to real life. As we see with the statement from John Pearce with the Care Review we have yet to start the journey.

Here’s 3 takes on the film

• ‘…stereotypical perfection and hidden inner darkness’.
• ‘Wear fluff if you want to. But if you don’t want to then don’t wear it.’
• ‘The strength of … performances kept me invested. But I didn’t buy it’.

We need also to consider the film ‘Oppenheimer’ as a cultural influence on ideas of the implementation of the Care Review. 

Oppenheimer was ‘captivated by the boundless possibilities of science, realising too late that his creation has a limitless capacity for destruction’ (Observer film review 23 07 23).

Early on in responding to the Care Review outputs NCERCC pointed out there was an existential threat to residential child care.

The annihilation of residential child care has to actively reflected upon.

It is one of the shadows of the Care Review that needs a spotlight shining on it.