Working with Families

Abstract

Working with children and families is a high priority for social services departments, and was reinforced by the introduction of the Children Act of 1989. Many direct referrals are for practical help or are part of statutory work aimed at protecting and controlling this client group (see Jones, 1983). Sometimes such referrals turn up difficulties rooted in unsatisfactory family relationships. Additionally, when undertaking assessments for community care it is apparent that in many cases workers will have to consider family relationships, and the dynamics of these relationships influence the outcomes of such assessments. It is not suggested that workers undertaking the assessments involve themselves in family work, but that they should have an understanding of the frameworks for considering family dynamics, and these may inform their assessments. Care managers, however, or provider agencies who are offering support and oversight of care packages which involve family members in caring for older people or those with mental health problems, may well have to become involved in some family work using their understanding of family dynamics and specialist interventions. Probation officers working with offenders of all ages frequently have to assess both the influence of the family on patterns of offending, and the impact of the offending on family dynamics.