1st Edition

Client and Agency Working Class Responses to Casework

By John Mayer Copyright 1970
    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    204 Pages
    by Routledge

    It is a startling and somewhat disturbing fact that social work researchers-as well as research psychiatrists and psychologists-have rarely explored the treatment situation from the standpoint of the client. Client and Agency, first published in the 1960s, explores by means of free-fl owing interviews, a close-up picture of the client's experiences at a social work agency.

    There has been a growing awareness of the importance of consumer opinion in the social services following the wide spread impact of consumer groups, particularly those concerned with educational and medical services. Social work agencies have hesitated, uncertain about the researchers and their methods, and fearful of the outcome. But it is desirable that they incorporate the views of consumer groups because client opinion is one way of checking the effectiveness of their work.

    The practice of social work requires the application of knowledge derived from a variety of sources and academic disciplines. It is frequently difficult to relate conflicting evidence and diverse theories about human behavior for use in day-to- day work with acutely troubled and deprived people. It points to the need for more extensive studies of both consumers and suppliers of social work services because it raises many pertinent questions. In Client and Agency clients of a Family Welfare Association discuss the kind of help they expect to receive, their impressions of the social worker and the treatment process, and the ways they felt they were helped or not helped.

    Foreword by Patricia Daniel, formerly Casework Consultant, Family Welfare AssociationAcknowledgements 1. The neglected client 2. The nature of the studyTowards the meeting of client and agency 3. The inadequacy of informal resources 4. The role of referral agentsClients seeking help with interpersonal problems 5. Dissatisfied clients 6. Satisfied clientsClients seeking help with material problems 7. The reluctance to seek material help 8. Satisfied clients 9. Dissatisfied clients 10. Towards more effective casework serviceAppendices 1. Sample letter to client from Family Welfare Association 2. Previous helpers as a frame of reference for appraising the worker 3. The non-assimilation of professional norms 4. Mrs MountfordNotesIndex

    Biography

    John Mayer