Introduction; Part 1: The recent history; How did we get here? The recent moves to privatise children's social services and social work; Creeping political control: the Children and Social Work Bill and anti-professionalism; The key players and their networks; Part 2: The long haul; The formation of the welfare state and its 1980s rejection by Thatcher; Thatchers levers and emchanism to promote marketisation and privatisation; Blair and New Labour's contribution to the journey; Cameron, the Coalition and the Conservatives: Cambornism and enhanced Thatcherism; Part 3: The impact of privatisation; Privatisation of public services and the undermining of the welfare state; The experience and outcomes of privatising public services; The impact to date of the privatisation of social care, social services and social work; Part 4: Changing course; No to Tina: an alternative journey for social work and children's social services.