Organizational management of practice : from family support to child protection
Date
1998
Authors
Mullins, Gillianb
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This research began from a personal interest to better understand the conflicts between the stated and the actual outcomes of practice of Provincial Government child welfare workers - in other words an exploration of the line of fault that exists between policy and practice. A structural feminist methodology was chosen as it is my belief that it is impossible to separate our everyday lives in work, family and community from the larger values and philosophical underpinnings of the culture in which we live.
The research concentrated on a very small aspect of policy and the probability of this being achieved through the practices of workers. What was discovered was that the philosophy and policy that is expected to drive practice is rendered inconsequential with the employers preoccupation with control of workers. This coupled with increasing workloads and depersonalization of clients into objective 'cases' to be managed represented a fundamental contradiction vis-a-vis the policy.