The Family: Patients or Clients?

by Almoners and Family Caseworkers. (Published for the Family Welfare Association by the Faith Press. 8s. 6d. net.) This is the report of a project which aimed "to see how far casework could be used in the preventive field" and "to re-define the circumstances in which people with problems could more easily use the setting of a voluntary casework agency than that of a hospital". In the preface the hope is expressed that the findings will also interest members of the public who may wish to find casework help for families in difficulty. The title assumes that the public knows the term "client" and what social casework is about. However, the book is clearly written and the terms "casework" and "setting" are fully explained in the text itself. This book does not shirk difficulties. In the past, social workers were accused of ignoring emotional problems and concentrating on material needs. Today, with the assumption of "the Welfare State", perhaps the pendulum has swung too far the other way! A well-reasoned chapter on "Material Problems of Clients" gives guidance here. The difficult problem of assessing "success" and "failure" in casework is, I think, tackled with "success". The final conclusions, though tentatively stated, all seem sound. Summaries of