Trilateral Labour Markets, Pricing and the Demand for Personal Social Services

Correspondence to Dr B. Burkitt, Department of Social and Economic Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD7 1DP. Summary The authors examine recent trends in labour markets and employmentexperience, which have altered significantly the socio-economiccharacteristics of social work clients. They argue that thesechanges have reduced the relevance of proposals for the increaseduse of pricing and the introduction of vouchers in the provisionof personal social services. The needs of clients are unlikelyto be met by a further concentration of analytical attentionon such largely unworkable proposals.     

The Managers of Social Work: The Experiences and Identifications of Third Tier Social Services Managers and the Implications for Future Practice

John Lawler, University of Bradford Management Centre, Emm Lane, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD9 4JL Summary The article draws on the results of a research project whichexplored management in social services departments from theperspective of third tier managers within those organizations.The article outlines some of the major current debates withinsocial services management and discusses the experiences andidentifications of those managers who were part of the study.The results indicate a fragmentation at this level of management—afragmentation of experience, attitudes and management approaches.The implications of this and other findings are considered asthey affect the areas of: research development; policy development;social work management; social work practice; and social workeducation.     

Disability and Social Work: Applications from Poststructuralism, Postmodernism and Feminism

Correspondence to Barabara Fawcett, Department of Applied Social Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP, UK. Summary In this article it is argued that poststructural and postmodernperspectives have something useful to offer social work, providedthese orientations are informed by the ‘social criticalpower of feminism’ (Fraser and Nicholson, 1993, p. 428).A case study is used to consider the utility of applying feministpoststructural and postmodern perspectives. It is contendedthat these orientations not only serve to link practice to theoryin a different way and to open up new avenues for exploration,but can also be seen to make a contribution to the debate aboutthe current constitution of social work.     

The Creation of an Inter-occupational Relationship: the introduction of a counsellor into an NHS General Practice

Correspondence to Neil Small, Lecturer in Social Work, School of Applied Social Studies, Univer of Bradford, Great Horton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD71DP Summary The article presents an account of the introduction of a counsellingservice into a National Health Service general practice. Itexamines the experiences of the counsellor and locates thesewithin a theoretical context that draws upon the insights offeminism to examine the work done and the context within whichit was done and the literature of the therapeutic communityto offer a guide to practice. Further, it examines the impactupon the organization of the practice and the problems in oreatingan inter-occupational relationship. These problems emanate bothfrom the assumptions general practice operates within and fromthe external system of accountability to which it conforms.     

What has Gender got to do with it ? Exploring Physically Abusive Behaviour Towards Children

Correspondence to Brid Featherstone, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Applied Social Studies, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP Summary This article explores the lack of impact that feminism has hadon analyses of physical abuse. It links this to the kinds offeminist theory which have been used to explore family violencegenerally. These have been based on fixed notions of men, womenand children. It argues for perspectives which are characterizedby an appreciation that gendered positions are neither fixednor inevitable, but, rather, subject to constant struggle andredefinition. It argues that the concept of power may not bethe most helpful concept to use when exploring emotional relationshipswhich are characterized by vulnerability and dependency, andthat the concept of domination may be more helpful. Finally,the paper draws on the work of Virginia Goldner and her associatesto posit the possibility of working on a number of levels, fromthe psychological to the material.     

Social Work Influence on the Cautioning of Juvenile Offenders

Summary Data on 254 juvenile offenders known to the police in one innercity area of Bradford were analysed in order to assess the roleof social workers in pre-court decision making. Overall, onlyabout one-fifth of the juveniles or their families were knownto the social sciences department, and social work influencewas limited to these cases. Despite this, the research suggestedthat socialworkers could play a crucial role in keeping juvenilesout of court. However, this role was restricted where socialworkers operated as consultants rather than participants indecision making.     

Sexual Abuse as a Moral Event

Correspondence to Kate Stewart, 8 Sellbourne Villas, St Marys Road, Bradford BD9 4NN Summary This article suggests that the moral dimension of sexual abusehas remained implicit rather than explicit. As such, it hasreceived little examination and thought with the result thatthe blunt instrument of common sense morality is applied withoutanalysis. The article examines the way in which this commonsense morality is differentially applied to the event of sexualabuse and the events of the professional system's reactionsto sexual abuse. It proposes a form of moral mapping which willhelp children and professionals disentangle and analyse themoral dimensions of sexual abuse and other events in children'slives.     

The Referral Process: A Study of Working Relationships between Antenatal Clinic Nursing Staff and Hospital Social Workers and their impact on Asian Women

P. A. lles. Open Business School, Open University School of Management, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA. Summary A Study of an intervention in a Bradford hospital antenatalclinic designed to improve working relationships between nursingstaff and hospital social workers is described. A statisticalanalysis indicated that referral rates from the antenatal clinicwere rather low, especially for women of Asian origin. Questionnaireand interview survey data established the importance of nursingstaff perceptions of both the social work role and of Asianwomen clinic users as important determinants of whether nursesmade a social work referral. Survey feedback to social workstaff led to the physical placement of a social worker at theclinic booking-in sessions, in order to improve working relationshipsbetween nurses and social workers and thereby hopefully improvereferral rates. This intervention was relatively unsuccessful,and this relative failure is related to the literature on interorganizationaldevelopment and inter-agency team building in order to identifyfactors which might make for success in inter-agency collaborativeprojects.     

Transactional Analysis: an Introduction to its Theory and Practice

Summary This article provides an outline of Transactional Analysis theory.It also explores some of the advantages and limitations of usingthis approach in social work, drawing mainly on material providedby the writer's work in a Health Centre, and her students' practicewhilst on placements.     

Behavioural Social Work with Schizophrenic Patients in the Community

Summary A preliminary project on the application of behaviour modificationprocedures in the home setting is reported together with commentson the social needs of schizophrenic patients and their families.The article includes suggestions about social work with thisclient group based on the project experience.     

Letters from a Kangaroo: A Third Object Technique for Working with the Young Child

Summary The author looks at the use of letter writing as a third objecttechnique and considers its value in working with under fives.She also touches on early language development in the pre-schoolchild and the relevance of the theory for social workers.     

A Problem for Law and Social Work: Social Enquiry Reports on People Pleading Not Guilty

Summary This paper examines the background to pre-trial enquiries, theirpreparation and some of the problems involved, with particularreference to not guilty pleas. It is based on a dissertationpresented for the Diploma in Social and Administrative Studiesin 1972 and a more detailed version is available     

Selection for Professional Training: The English and the American Experience

Summary Of the many issues arising from the Vyas case in England andthe Bakke case in the United States those of positive discrimination,selection on racial grounds, the nature and purpose of professionaltraining and the nature of fairness in selection for such training,are considered.     

Literature Review: An Abuse of some Substance?

Summary The intention in this review is to examine a small selectionof the literature on substance abuse and to assess to what extentit is a new phenomenon and a problem calling for legislativeaction. This intention accounts for the slightly capriciouschoice of title for the contribution.     

Coping with Chronic Renal Failure

Summary This paper presents the findings of a small-scale study in whichtwenty renal patients on home dialysis were interviewed. Thedata are analysed in relation to coping strategies, coping stylesand illness roles. Some implications for theories of coping,illness roles and social work are examined.     

Social Work Assessment Processes in Work with Ethnic Minorities-the Doshi Family

Summary The authors describe a framework for assessment which they developedin a book on practice theory (Curnock and Hardiker, 1979). Thisframework was used by them to guide the practice described withthe Doshi family and to analyse the social work processes involved.This paper concludes with an evaluation of the practice.     

Contracts in Social Work Practice

Summary This article explores the paradigm of Contract Law to identifyproblems and advantages of introducing a contractual model intosocial work practice. Recent social work literature on the useof contracts is reviewed and a social worker's record of howa contract was negotiated is analysed. The author argues thatthe value-base of a contract model must be founded on reciprocity.     

Social Workers: Their Role and Tasks (1982)

Summary This article reviews the Barclay Report It explores, Inter alia,the Committee's views on matters such as client rights and communitysocial work. It also considers some of the implications of theReport for policy and practice in the light of the purposeswhich may be served by government sponsored committees of thiskind.     

A Changing Service: The Case for Separating 'Care' and 'Control' in Probation Practice

Summary Change has heightened contradictions inherent in the probationservice's functions. The effects of this on officers' behaviourare described and a new conceptualization of the relationshipbetween care and control is offered. It is argued that modelsof possible future developments for the service must addressthe impact of work function and work context on practice, andan example of an alternative approach to the future is provided.