ABSTRACT
Local managers support street-level practitioners in extending the discretionary potential of the interpretation and application of eligibility criteria. The relationship between social workers and their local managers is more complex than Michael Lipsky's model suggests. Managers seek to ensure accountability to the organisation, but this is understood by them as a professional, as well as an organisational accountability. Managerialism and professionalism seem to operate as cross-cutting discourses: resources for control and discretion. In the Older Persons Team (OPT) social workers are supervised by two assistant managers, themselves qualified social workers, as is the team manager. In the Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) practitioners are supervised by the assistant team manager, who is a qualified social worker and a practising Approved Social Worker (ASW). The role of ASW is different from that of day-to-day social work practice within the team, but practitioners' status and training as ASWs are seen both by them and by their line managers.
