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38
FAMILY CASE WORK
Social workers engaged in the school health social work service
have developed considerably the casework content of their work during 1967.
Historically they have had contact with clients only at clinics where
they work as a team with the doctor. During the past year it has been
the policy and practice of the doctor and social worker to arrive at a joint
decision regarding which clients and families need casework help, and much
more of the social worker's time is spent on home visiting with the emphasis
on attempting to improve the family interaction. The special Investigation
Clinics for schoolchildren have a very important preventive function and treat
children suffering from enuresis, obesity or early emotional problems. Close
contact is maintained with the two child guidance clinics in the Borough, and
the social workers may carry out initial enquiries on children with emotional
problems and supply a psycho-social report for the child guidance clinic should
the child be referred there. Some cases are referred Dack to the social worker
for casework help where tne clinic staff is of the opinion that the problem is
Dest treated in the home setting.
During 1967, a school health social worker began to provide social
work help at the New River School for partially sighted children, and a
close and understanding relationship has been developed with the school
staff. The social worker now visits a number of the homes of the children
who are manifesting behaviour or emotional problems. A social worker is employed
at each of the two chest clinics in the Borough, and another worker
is engaged at tne venereal disease clinics, and has the important task of
contact tracing. The two family caseworkers continue basically to provide
skilled casework help to inadequate families having multiple proDlems, but
the section as a whole now is accepting a wider range referral, and all workers
are encouraged to snare in a critical examination of their work function
with the aim of improving efficiency. Regular staff meetings are held and
additionally the availability of regular consultations and a fortnightly case
discussion group helps professional practice.
The professional skills of this section are recognised by the staffs
of university and professional social work courses who place students for
training. Three students were accepted for placement during 1967, and it
is planned to give more of this type of student training during 1968, particularly
to students from the North-West Polytechnic who are taking the two year
certificate in social work studies. The supervision of students makes heavy
demands on supervisors, and much care has to be taken in programme planning
and regular supervisory sessions. However the professional development of
these students depends largely on the availability of skilled supervision, and
the social workers giving this service readily accept this extra responsibility.
Co-ordination of Social Services
The Social Services Co-ordinating Committee met regularly during 1968.
It's membership consists of the chief officers of Health, Children's, Welfare
and Housing Departments, and representatives of the Education Authority, the
Housing Department of the Greater London Council, the Ministry of Social Security,
the Probation Service and certain voluntary organisations.
A sub-committee meets at least fortnightly and is known as the fieldworkers
case conference. At this conference cases are discussed which have
been referred for discussion by any social work department or agency within the
Borough. At this field level the object is to pool information regarding
the family under discussion and arrive at an agreed decision on the rational
use of the available social work resources. Occasionally the conference is
unable to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion and then refers the case to the
full Co-ordinating Committee for action. The agreed policy is that no one