ABSTRACT
As discussed previously, mental health is an area in which care and control go side by side. This chapter aims to outline the core tasks of the Approved Social Worker (ASW) and the tensions involved in this statutory role, where care and control issues interface. It has been written in conjunction with a senior ASW colleague who prefers to remain anonymous-in part so that they can ‘tell it as it is’. It aims to show how the new legislative proposals may influence the nature of the work in the future. It will draw upon examples from practice to illustrate the often complex nature of the ASW’s decisionmaking task.
