Table Of ContentMAKING SENSE OF SOCIAL WORK
Also by Michael Preston-Shoot
CONTRACTS IN SOCIAL WORK (ll'ith John Carden)
EFFECTIVE GROUPWORK
Making Sense of
Social Work
Psychodynamics, Systems and Practice
Michael Preston-Shoot
and
Dick Agass
M
MACMILLAN
© Michael Preston-Shoot and Dick Agass 1990
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First published 1990
Published by
MACMILLAN EDUCATION LTD
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Companies and representatives
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Preston-Shoot, Michael, 1951-
Making sense of social work : psychodynamics, systems and practice.
1. Welfare work. Theories
I. Title II. Agass, Dick
361.301
ISBN 978-0-333-49303-8 ISBN 978-1-349-21040-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-21040-4
Contents
List off igures vi
Preface vii
Introduction: concerns, curiosity and visions 1
1. Defining the theory: psychodynamics 17
2. Defining the theory: a systems approach 43
3. Psychodynamics and systems: towards a working synthesis
for the person-in-situation 62
4. Criticisms, myths and parodies 83
5. Social work and society: downward spirals and double-
binds? 104
6. Making sense of social work tasks 129
7. Supervision, consultation and individual and organisational
tangles 162
Postscript: openings into closed systems 191
References 195
Index 210
v
List of figures
5.1 The downward spiral 109
5.2 A vicious circle in social work 116
6.1 Triangles 152
6.2 Circular reinforcement 154
7.1 Pitfalls in client-social worker interactions 173
P.l A closed system 192
VI
Preface
Our initial attempts to achieve a working synthesis in practice
between psychodynamic and systems theories were shared with
other members of Leeds Family Therapy and Research Centre
(Leeds University): Peter Stratton, Gill Tagg, Helga Hanks and
Dorothy Heard. From the team we learned a great deal and many of
our ideas were worked out in common with them.
Dr Ronald Markillie has been a consistently encouraging teacher
and supervisor. Vic Sedlak and Mary Twyman from the Society of
Psychoanalytical Psychotherapists have led thought-provoking
seminars in Leeds for the past three years. Brian Sidey, lain Dallas
(Bradford Social Services) and Don Wright (Leeds Social Services)
have been challenging and helpful colleagues and friends. Suzy
Braye (School of Social Work, University of Manchester) read the
manuscript and provided welcome support, critical comments and
illumination. Alison Cummings and David Hughes, Fiona, Sean and
Rachel Agass, and Kay Barella all provided personal support whilst
we completed our project.
Jean Ashton, Ruth Carter and Ursula Miley helped to type the
manuscript.
We are grateful to them all.
MICHAEL PRESTON-SHOOT
DICK AGASS
Vll
Introduction: concerns, curiosity and
VISIOnS
Although a much abused word, crisis currently typifies much of
social work. It is no exaggeration; social work is approaching
turmoil. Increasing workloads, multiplying responsibilities contrast
ing with static or contracting resources, the emotional and physical
impact of the work, the deletion of posts in some fields to meet
financial targets or the demands of child protection work,
apparently contradictory public expectations and vitriol from the
media which often sees little other than tragedies: these are all
reflected in low morale, vacancy levels and burn-out. Practitioners
face a plethora of pressing problems and yet do not feel highly
regarded. Some conceal their occupation or derive little pride from
their work. Few believe it commands public respect (Davies and
Brandon, 1988). Given the work's complexity and difficulty, this
absence of public commitment to social work-and the concomitant
low morale, confusion and frustration among practitioners - must
be of major concern. Moreover, major changes are imminent: the
privatisation of parts of the National Health Service and the
possible reorganisation of social services whereby departments co
ordinate packages of care rather than provide directly many of the
services currently within their remit. Other, arguably more
beneficial, changes have been dismissed. Qualifying training will
not be extended into a third year and, apart from courses in child
protection, social work education at post-qualifying and short
course levels is underfunded. Thus, although the number of
potential recruits to social work courses remains buoyant and the
commitment of many social workers impressive, there is no margin
for complacency. As one practitioner graphically described it, social
work is like mining coal with teaspoons.
2 Making sense of social work
This book has evolved from our concern both about the crisis and
the permanency towards which this state of affairs is drifting,
together with curiosity about the reasons for it and a belief in the
urgency of finding constructive ways forward. The ideas presented
in this book result from our practice experience.
What is social work? The battle of definitions
One battle rages over social work's soul. Some advocate a narrow,
restrictive definition. Social work is defined simply in terms of its
statutory responsibilities. All activities are relegated behind social
control. The work is defined by the law and the function of
employing agencies. This framework provides social work's
mandate (Blom-Cooper, 1988). Stevenson (1988) opposes this
view. She argues that an ethical duty of care to the user, not the
law, should define social work. In practice, the picture is not as
simple as these polarities would suggest. Practice places social
workers uncomfortably between the two positions and daily
confronts them with dilemmas (Braye and Preston-Shoot, 1990):
for instance, the legal grounds for action may exist but that response
may not be in the user's best interests. It may or may not be
appropriate. On the other hand, social workers may wish to
empower users and protect their rights, as part of their ethical duty
of care, yet operate from a context of services which are resource
and provider-led, not need- and user-led.
Another battle centres on the elevation of economy and value for
money above the development of effective care packages. Users have
to fit the services available rather than provision being tailored to
individual needs and wishes. In both child care and social work with
older people, this can lead to inappropriate placements or
admissions to institutional care, or to increased risk in the
community because of the non-availability of resources. Paradoxic
ally, therefore, emphasising economy over effectiveness may,
ultimately, not be economical in the longer term.
Each of these struggles may be subsumed within the controversy:
what is social work? There has been a long search for the definitive
answer. Some propose a radical activity, to change social and
economic structures which oppress and alienate whole groups of
