© British Association of Social Workers
Institutionalization, Management Structure and Therapy in Residential Work with Emotionally Disturbed Children
Eric Butlin, B.A., is a senior residential social worker at the Mulberry Bush School, Oxon. He has worked there since 1971 when he gained a professional social work qualification from Barnett House, University of Oxford
Summary
The author discusses the term institutionalization and attempts to define it. From this point he examines residential social work from the premise that it must be treatment orientated if it is to avoid the pitfalls of institutionalization. The need for treatment to be contained within a flexible management structure is explored in detail and, following from this, five criteria for the running of a therapeutic residential unit are outlined. The latter half of the article concentrates on how these theoretical points have been developed in practice in the unit in which he works, amplifying their relevance by describing a typical day of work for the author