© British Association of Social Workers
Interaction Between Field and Residential Social Workers
Geoffrey Bromley is a Research Fellow with the Social Services Organization Research Unit at Brunel University where he is engaged in project work on organization issues with Social Services Departments. Since graduating from Cambridge University and obtaining a diploma in social work from Manchester University, he has worked in the probation service and in industry where he did training and organization development work.
Summary
This paper is based upon collaborative project work with a social services department aimed at improving interaction and collaboration between field and residential social workers. It describes the principles upon which it was agreed that interaction should develop. These include notions of case-accountable staff, a collateral model of interaction between staff and the idea of one party being identified as a prime care agent. Based on these principles it sets out a model arrangement for clients entering residential care which recognizes the need for precision about the nature of key decisions that need to be taken with clients and the way these decisions should be taken.