ABSTRACT
The importance of the intake process to the client is shown by the fact that, long after the social worker has forgotten it, the client can recount every detail of what happened. Things like the social worker staring out of the window while the client is talking, keeping the client waiting, failing to apologise if the interview is interrupted by a phone call, breaking appointments at the last minute all these have caused some distress to people expecting a more personal approach. The obligation is the traditional one accorded to the privileged person in a service relationship: always to use her influence on behalf of the client where it is pertinent and feasible to do so. In either case, the 'power equation' is turned on its head, with the worker using her power to strengthen the client's position in relation to the social environment.
