ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the skills, methods and values involved in the type of work with individuals which has come to be known as casework. The first part of the chapter defines the casework method and compares it with less structured forms of work with individuals which informal educators may undertake. You will be able to assess the extent to which the work you do with individuals is similar to casework. Understanding the implications of the values underlying classic casework methods is important for educators, because changes in Government policies and agency practice mean that casework has come to prominence as the method of choice for engineering social change. As a result, more and more informal educators are being asked both to use casework methods and to accept the values which these often imply. The second part of the chapter looks at the implications of the Connexions policy in particular for workers who are, or wish to be, involved in this sort of work.
