Introduction

The empowerment and inclusion of Gypsies and Travellers presents a challenge for the implementation of social policy in the pursuit of social equality. While social policy is orientated towards the pursuit of social justice, we know that the discrimination and injustices experienced by many Gypsies and Travellers are socially constructed. Yet, if we emphasise the nature and potential impact of them, we create a discursive conundrum in which the challenges faced by Gypsy and Traveller communities might (incorrectly) be attributed to individual lifestyle choices, rather than to the structural forces that exist around them (this was discussed by Richardson and Ryder in Chapter One, and will be revisited in Chapter Seven). This position, in the face of a commitment to empower those who are marginalised through institutional oppression, fails Gypsy and Traveller communities as well as Gypsies and Travellers themselves.

This chapter attempts to discuss this challenge by examining the position of social policy, highlighting the importance of its interpretation in practice. It starts with a brief outline of social policy and considers the way in which it can simultaneously signify the competing demands between social equality and social capital. It will then reflect on these issues by introducing the preliminary findings of ongoing research being conducted by the author, a higher degree research student at De Montfort University, which aims to develop a more critical sociological understanding of the experiences of Gypsies and Travellers who have lived in local authority care as children in England, Scotland and Ireland. For this section, specific abstracts are taken from the study and actual commentaries are used. As these commentaries are based on reflections and consequences of real lived experiences, some are sensitive and harsh in content and the reader is invited to reflect on their own reactions to them, including their own perceptions and prejudices, in order to fully understand and appreciate the messages behind them. The penultimate section reflects on the role of social policy with Traveller and Gypsy children living in care and makes a series of considered recommendations in relation to the empowerment and inclusion of those who are marginalised or viewed as insignificant. The final section concludes the chapter.