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144
Organisotional Developments to meet the growing needs of Clients(Continued)
The investigation of new referrals, particularly those involving
elderly people, is demanding of time (because clients do not find it easy
to express the extent of their problems and needs) and casework skill
(in order to gain the client's confidence in the ability of our caseworkers
to understand the client's problems and to suggest a wide range of
services which can most appropriately enable the clients to function
independently to the full extent of their capabilities).
Each new referral involving at least one domiciliary visit, will take,
on average, an hour to complete initial assessment. The total of 1,186
new referrals during 1969 represents therefore, the equivalent of one
social worker's time for the full year, and this takes no account of any
follow-up or on-going casework, which will be necessary in at least hall
of the number of new referrals.
Because of the low rate of case closure, this examination of the
implications of the high number of new referrals will give some indication
of the growing demands by clients, in number and complexity, upon
Welfare Services and will to some extent explain why the Welfare
Services express the need for increased staff establishment so regularly.
One other significant factor in the analysis table is that of the very
high percentage of referrals relating to the elderly. This is symptomatic
of the increasing proportion of numbers of elderly people within the community
and is indicative of a growing need for resourcefulness in conceiving
a multiplicity of variety of new supportive services which will
be needed if we are to realise our aims to enable elderly people to continue
to live happily within the community, which most people desire, for
as long as is possible.
There is no doubt that with the thoughtful co-ordination of information
supplied by the social workers concerning clients' needs, and an
analysis of the implications in terms of determining how the needs are to
be met, Welfare Services will continue to develop rapidly, and in particular
the vital casework service which we aim to provide.