Publication details
Do social workers avoid the dilemmasof work with clients?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2004 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | European journal of social work |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Sociology, demography |
| Keywords | Culture of Social Work Service Organizations; Dilemmas of Work with Clients; Street-level Policies |
| Description | This article is devoted to Lipsky`s suggestion that purpose of street-level policies is to establish and justify patterns of behaviour that enable street-level bureaucrats to avoid the dilemmas provoked by uncertain working conditions. Based on a review of relevant literature as well as on case studies in the culture of social work service organizations by the authors, the article suggests that two kinds of street-level policies are described by the research. The first is consistent with the aforementioned idea by Lipsky and follows thewish of social service workers to avoid the dilemmas of their work with clients without trying to change those uncertain conditions that provoke these dilemmas. The actors of the second kind of street-level policy try to negotiate with relevant partners and to change uncertain working conditions that are at the roots of their dilemmas. Both kinds of street-level policy are described by means of empirical examples and their substantive features are summarised. |
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