ABSTRACT
People who break the law, who suffer from serious mental illnesses, or who maltreat their children are usually referred to social workers by other officials or by neighbours. In all such circumstances, social workers will play an important part in deciding what should happen to these people, and in the events following those decisions — events which can be very unpleasant and distressing. The social worker may find himself compelling someone to enter a mental hospital against his will, taking away someone else’s child by force, or putting another into custody. In a sense, supervision begins from the moment the social worker starts his contact with a client who has not asked for help. The assessment is in itself supervisory, and sets the tone of any further dealings between the worker and the family. This chapter presents a case example that represents one possible way in which long-term statutory work with families can go wrong.
