ABSTRACT
Most caseworkers set out to be helpful and see themselves in a good parental role, vis-a-vis their client. Their wish to engage in social work may spring from a deep desire to repair situations and relationships, but in order to achieve this aim, reparative zeal must be geared to what is realistic and of benefit to the client. The first meeting of caseworker and client is a new experience for both; they come together eager, though in different ways, to find out about each other. Although it is a new experience, their relationship and particularly their initial contact will be greatly influenced by the attitude each partner brings to the situation. The expectations and fears the caseworker may have are innumerable, and depend on the particular caseworker’s personality and experience on the nature of the problem she is faced with. Some caseworkers feel so guilty about losing a client that they sometimes hang on to him under any circumstances.
