Alan Dettlaff on Abolishing Family Policing | upEND Movement + Revolutionary Social Work

Alan Dettlaff (upEND Movement) joins Ace + Alicia for a direct conversation on abolitionist social work, ending the family policing system, and reclaiming social work from professionalized compliance. We get into electoral politics, the profession’s silence on genocide, desensitization and empathy, organizing for community, and practical action like economic boycotts and finding clearer information in a saturated media landscape.Connect + collaborate (we actually read these): [email protected]: RevolutionarySocialWork.comExplore Alan’s work:upEND Movement: https://upendmovement.org/Alan Dettlaff: https://www.alandettlaff.com/About Alan Dettlaff:Alan began his career in the family policing system as an investigative caseworker and administrator. He later helped create the upEND Movement (2020) to abolish the family policing system and build healing-centered alternatives. He’s the author of Confronting the Racist Legacy of the American Child Welfare System: The Case for Abolition (Oxford University Press, 2023), co-editor of Social Work, White Supremacy, and Racial Justice (OUP, 2023), and co-founding editor of Abolitionist Perspectives in Social Work (open-access, peer-reviewed).Topics in this episode include: abolitionism, family policing, child welfare, social work education, solidarity, community building, media saturation, boycotts, and revolutionary social work.Chapters 00:00 Theme song + intro02:40 Introduction to Revolutionary Social Work03:49 Alan Dettlaff’s Background and Abolitionist Work06:17 The Impact of Angela Davis on Activism08:17 Distraction Tactics of Oppressors10:36 The Limitations of Electoral Politics13:44 Critique of the Democratic Party15:14 Disappointment in Social Work Organizations18:08 The Silence of Social Work on Genocide21:54 The Performative Nature of Social Work25:06 Desensitization to Global Issues27:25 The Need for Political Education30:25 Authenticity vs. Fear in Activism32:46 Addressing Global Genocides34:44 Revolutionizing Social Work37:32 Reclaiming the Term “Social Work”41:37 Reclaiming Social Work: A Complex Identity47:31 The Role of Education in Social Work51:18 Abolitionist Ideas in Social Work56:12 Collective Action and Political Engagement01:02:41 Building Community and Connection01:05:59 Navigating Information Overload01:15:25 Towards Liberation: A Call to Action#RevolutionarySocialWork #AbolitionistSocialWork #upENDMovement© Revolutionary Social Work