Working in Community Services: Management and practice (Studies in Society Series) - Softcover

Wearing, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1864487224 ISBN 13: 9781864487220

Publisher: Routledge, 1998

Synopsis

How do clients experience welfare services?

How can management support staff in their work?

Community and human service workers are the public face of social policy. The way in which they interpret policy in their everyday work defines welfare services for their clients.

Michael Wearing examines the relationship between community service workers and their clients, starting with an historical analysis of how agencies and staff have constructed clients in Britain and Australia. He then looks at both government and non-government agencies, showing how emotions and perceptions play an important role in daily interactions between human service workers and clients, and between workers and management. He focuses particularly on the current administrative context of community services and how this affects service provision.

Wearing urges workers and management to adopt innovative strategies for practice so that workers can gain some autonomy in the workplace, work reflexively and develop advocacy skills on behalf of clients.

Working in Community Services challenges common assumptions about welfare practice and is essential reading for students and professionals in Social Work, Community Work, Social Policy and Public Administration.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Wearing is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Work at the University of New South Wales.

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1864487224
• ISBN 13: 9781864487220
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224