A Study of Predictors of Success on a Social Work Course

Summary A variety of test measures and biographical variables was relatedto the theoretical and practical course performance of two separateintakes of social work students who began their professionalcourses in a polytechnic in 1968 or 1969. Theoretical performancewas effectively predicted by cognitive variables, but only onetest, a measure of persistence, correlated significantly andconsistently with the practical criterion     

Cognitive-Behavioural Social Work with Children

Correspondence to: Dr Tammie Ronen, The Bob Shapell School of Social Work, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel Summary The paper aims to explore the complex and important links betweeninterventions with children, cognitive therapy, and social work.Although children comprise about half of the referrals to socialwork services, they do not generally receive direct treatmentin these settings. Social workers are involved with childrenin the roles of mediator or counsellor and as the supervisorwho is concerned with the placement of the child in appropriatesettings. When the need for direct therapeutic interventionarises, children are usually referred to educational or clinicalpsychologists. Social work as a profession has been foundedupon a psychodynamic approach; however, social workers havealways been concerned with effective treatments, the definitionof clear goals, and the clarification of client needs. Thesefeatures link social work to cognitive-behavioural therapy.Cognitive therapy, although not frequently used with children,is presented in this paper as a means for conducting directinterventions with children which fulfil social work's basictargets and needs.     

Self-fulfilling Prophecies, Self-defeating Strategies and Change

Summary This paper sets out to describe and define ‘self-fulfillingprophecies’ and ‘self-defeating strategies’and discuss their relevance to understanding families. The conceptsare presented as a model for making sense of, and simplifying,the complex repeating sequences of behaviour seen in families.It is a model which has a behavioural and a cognitive componentand this may form a bridge between theories which concentrateon the ‘here and now’ and those which emphasizethe significance of history. Examples of the model are givenwith an analysis of the process of interaction. Certain featuresof self-defeating strategies are discussed, specifically howattempts to avoid a particular outcome can, in fact, precipitateit and how obsolete expectations can inhibit families from changing.Finally, some of the underlying assumptions of the model areexamined.     

The Cognitive-Behavioural Approach with Depressed Clients

Correspondence to Dr Michael Seott, Liverpool Personal Service Society, 34, Stanley Street, Liverpool L1 6AN Summary The recent cognitive revolution in psychology has meant thatan individual's behaviour is now rarely viewed in simple behaviouristterms as solely a product of rewards and punishments, but isseen as influenced by the individual's own, often idiosyncratic,view of their situation. This new paradigm has enabled the developmentof highly structured and usually brief interventions in manyareas of individual emotional problems. This paper describes Individual and Group Cognitive Therapywith depressed clients and cites two recent outcome studies.The contribution of Cognitive-Behaviour Therapy (CBT) to thisarea of emotional distress is noted with the caveat that itseffectiveness has been more thoroughly studied in this areathan in others.     

Deprived Adolescents: A Use for Groupwork

Summary This article describes a group for deprived adolescent boysreferred to a child guidance unit for violent, anti-social andwithdrawn behaviour in school. The referred behaviour is relatedto its aetiology in environmental and fragmented family conditionsand the suitability of group work as providing a containingor 'holding' situation is discussed in relation to other formsof treatment available. The behaviour and role of the therapistis considered, as are the limitations of what can be achievedin provision of this kind     

The Conditioning Treatment of Childhood Enuresis

Summary Enuresis is described as a learning deficiency and conditioningtreatment discussed as the logical positive outcome. The processof conditioning treatment is described and compared, and commonobjections discussed. Explanation is given of the practicalapplication of conditioning treatment in social casework andresidential child care     

The Treatment of Enuresis amongst Child Clients of a Social Services Department

Summary The adoption of an ‘outpatient’ model of supervisingthe treatment of bedwetting amongst child clients of a socialservices department is described. The treatment technique usedwas the generally effective ‘enuresis alarm’, or‘bell-and-pad’. Fifteen out of a total of 25 concludedcourses of treatment were successful, with an average treatmentduration of 14.9 weeks. Both this outcome, and the rate of drop-outbefore completion of treatment (ten cases) are comparable withthose obtained with non social services clients, and the useof the enuresis alarm with children in care (including thosein residential establishments) was found to be quite practicable.A high relapse rate (43%) was, however, found for social servicesclients, relapse usually following a placement change or othermajor stress.     

Institutionalization, Management Structure and Therapy in Residential Work with Emotionally Disturbed Children

Summary The author discusses the term institutionalization and attemptsto define it. From this point he examines residential socialwork from the premise that it must be treatment orientated ifit is to avoid the pitfalls of institutionalization. The needfor treatment to be contained within a flexible management structureis explored in detail and, following from this, five criteriafor the running of a therapeutic residential unit are outlined.The latter half of the article concentrates on how these theoreticalpoints have been developed in practice in the unit in whichhe works, amplifying their relevance by describing a typicalday of work for the author     

Aspects of Social Work on a Cancer Research and Treatment Unit in a London Teaching Hospital

Summary With the rapid growth of technology and science in society today,an increasingly large number of people are becoming patientsin specialized research and treatment units. The reorganizationof social work support to the health service is upon us, andgreat care must be taken to ensure that this important groupof clients will receive the social work help it needs. The paper is based on work in a cancer unit in a London teachinghospital and seeks to illustrate ways in which the work is specialized     

Attitudes, Stereotypes and Anti-Discriminatory Education: Developing Themes from Sullivan

Correspondence to Richard Pugh NEWI, Plas Coch Campus. Mold Road, Wrexham LL11 2AW, Wales, UK. Summary This paper acknowledges the importance of the issues that Sullivan(1998) raises, but questions assumptions made about the natureof anti-discriminatory practice and is critical of the way inwhich shifts in attitudes are interpreted as evidence of furtherproblematic discrimination. It suggests alternative interpretationsfor Sullivan's examples, and questions the conceptions of attitudesand the model of self presented in Sullivan's account of attitudechange. The paper considers stereotyping as a cognitive processand whether it is an inevitable, or invariable, phenomenon.It reviews the nature and goals of anti-discriminatory education,contending that discrimination arises not from the holding ofstrong attitudes perse, but from the nature of, and the consequencesthat follow from, particular attitudes. Finally, it makes recommendationsfor educators and provides suggestions for further developmentof the anti-discriminatory perspective.     

A Combined Approach to Parental Coping

Summary The development of coping strategies by a combination of behaviourmodification, casework and milieu therapy is discussed withreference to the case of a nine-year-old boy admitted to a childpsychiatric in-patient unit. Admission had been precipitatedby his violent and uncontrollable behaviour at home. The plannedreturn of the child to his family is stressed as an importantpart of the treatment.     

Adopted Children in Care

Correspondence to David Howe, School of Economic and Social Studies, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ. Summary Four local authority social services departments were surveyedto determine the number of adopted children who were currentlyin their care. The biographical characteristics of these childrenand the reasons for them entering care are reported. The adoptivedimension is discussed as a possibly relevant factor in theassessment and treatment of these children and their families.It is concluded that appropriate practice in this field requiresspecialist skills and understanding.     

Intermediate Treatment and Adolescents' Perceptions of Social Workers

Summary This paper reports an exploratory study of perceptions of socialworkers. Information was obtained from adolescents involvedin intermediate treatment activity groups, their parents, andtheir caseworkers. The respondents were asked to complete acard-sort of adjectives which might describe the social workers.The results suggest that adolescents may have much more positiveperceptions of their social workers than either the parentsor social workers anticipated. Parents were also found to havepositive perceptions of their social workers, especially iftheir social worker also attended the activity groups with theiradolescent. Some of the variables which were seen to have influencedthe perceptions of the social workers are discussed.     

Justice and the Young Offender in Northern Ireland

Summary This article examines the recommendations of the Black Reportconcerning the future treatment of the young offender in NorthernIreland. The Black Report represents an attempt to operationalisea justice approach in the treatment of the young offender. Theanalysis is set in the context of (i) the sequelae of the currentcivil conflict in the Province; (ii) previous legislation andprovision in the Province and (iii) recent developments, withinthe United Kingdom as a whole, regarding the future directionof social policy in this area.     

Do Nothing but Do Something: the Effect of Human Contact with the Parent on Abusive Behaviour

Summary This study examines whether a mere human contact, which is notaccompanied with any definite treatment goal or technique, canbring about a change in the behaviour of abusing mothers. Resultsindicated that after three months of social contact betweenthe layman, intervening woman and 40 abusive mothers, significantchange could be seen in the abusive behaviour. This change didnot last when the contact with the mother was terminated. Threeelements inherent in the contact were mentioned by the mothersas an explanation; social control, attention, and easing theburden. The paper ends with a discussion of the use of humancontact as a method of treatment, its advantages and disadvantages.     

A Clash in Perspective? A Study of Worker and Client Perceptions of Social Work

Summary This study explores in a small sample of a worker's own clientswhether clashes in perspective occur between clients and socialworker, and how this is linked with satisfaction and dissatisfaction.Dissatisfied clients did not share a framework with the worker,but felt blamed and criticized by her, and the worker's ownbehaviour at the contract setting stage contributed to this.In contrast, satisfied clients and the worker appeared to havea positive shared perspective of the treatment process.     

Behavioural-Cognitive Groups for Adult Psychiatric Patients: A Pilot Study

Correspondence to Patricia McAuley, Social Services Training Centre, 34 Station Read, Antrim, N. Ireland, BT41 4AB Summary This paper describes a pilot study of a behavioural-cognitivegroup programme for adult psychiatric patients who presentedwith a variety of problems. The time-limited groups aimed toteach behavioural analysis skills through the selection, observationand treatment of a target problem by each group member. Resultsof ten such groups are analysed and indicate that members couldoperationally define a problem and implement behavioural changewhich was maintained at six month follow up. However, deficitsin formal behavioural analysis skills were evidenced.     

The Balance between Care and Control in Probation: A Research Note

Summary The study explores the probation experience of thirty male probationersand their probation officers and their perceptions of it Traditionallyprobation work is often analysed in terms of a polarity or continuumbetween care and control or treatment and punishment. The relevanceof these and other ideological constructs is challenged by empiricaldata which suggests that the probation service is mainly concernedwith providing relief and service to clients who face difficultenvironmental and social pressures. It is need, rather thantreatment or control, which dominates the probation process.     

A Non-Treatment Paradigm for Probation Practice

Summary Empirical and theoretical critiques of treatment can no longerbe ignored in probation practice, but the probation service'straditional core values of respect for persons and hope forthe future can be realized in a non-treatment context. Fourtraditional aims of the probation service are identified, namely(i) the provision of appropriate help for offenders; (ii) thestatutory supervision of offenders; (iii) diverting appropriateoffenders from custodial sentences; (iv) the reduction of crime.It is argued that each of these aims remains worth pursuing,but that they need radical reconceptualization in the lightof the collapse of treatment A paradigm for practice in respectof each aim is offered for criticism and comment     

Task-centred Casework with Marital Problems

Summary The use of task-centred casework with people who have maritalproblems and have taken an overdose is described. The stagesof task-centred work are illustrated and difficulties whichwere encountered are discussed. Task-centred casework is seento be a feasible and helpful method of working with people withmarital problems.