ABSTRACT
In exploring the reasons for their long-term contact with social services, clients indicated several important factors. Where essentially practical help was sought, the social worker usually appeared to offer an intermediary role, offering to investigate the relevance of external resources or to liaise with another agency. In the eyes of the clients, social work had continued beyond the initial request because they were offered a wider recognition of their stressful circumstances. ‘Supported’ clients recalled their social workers as ‘good listeners’, able to show that they had understood. Unsupported’ clients shared the feeling that their social workers had failed to acknowledge something fundamental in their circumstances, and had therefore overlooked areas of personal distress which had a crucial bearing on their continued need for outside help. Compared with the ‘supported’ clients, of whom three-quarters received practical help, only three ‘unsupported’ clients recalled receiving such help.
