ABSTRACT
Agriculture, industry, trade and commerce provide the where-withal for material survival; defence policies and policing protect it; education lays the foundations for future growth; the health services ensure physical well-being; and so on. An assumption in all societies is that, beyond statutory provision and within the framework of the wider social and economic community, individuals and families will maintain themselves, exist in relative self-sufficiency and derive personal satisfaction from the way they make use of opportunities that are presumed to exist. The maintenance strategy is two-pronged – or rather it is concerned with the interface between the individual and society. The social worker is contributing towards the maintenance of society by exercising some control over deviant members and allocating scarce resources according to policies laid down by the state but implemented on an individualised basis. All social work research has demonstrated the central position of caring in practice.
