ABSTRACT
Assumptions about clients are steeped in a common-sense theory that arises from the practical experience of doing the job. Indeed the client’s right to an ethically guided service is clearly encoded and occupational values proclaim the service-user to be a self-actualising and autonomous individual. It will be shown that the abstract, formal meaning of the client as worthy participant in the welfare endeavour is matched by practitioner folk-lore of the client as sometimes venal, unappreciative and in need of careful management. Welfare rights work; that is, acting as advocate or representative for clients in respect of their financial and material problems, is a familiar feature of the occupational chore. The contradiction of clients being both worthy and unworthy is integrated and made plausible within the occupational experience. Client viewpoints may be discredited by reference to their lay status and moral turpitude.
