Contends that case managers engage in the practice of management. Employs Mintzberg's seminal research on chief executive behavior to argue that case managers' work is similarly characterized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation. Notes that case managers perform the 10 roles developed by Mintzberg. Describes roles and presents case managers'…

Considers principles for collecting competent evidence and provides case studies of a child and an adolescent to demonstrate evidence collection methods in social work practice. (Author/JAC)

Reframes the traditional definitions of and approaches to adult protective services in light of the increase in mechanisms for involuntary interventions. Suggests that the role of the social worker in contemporary adult protection is that of researcher and advocate for changes in already established forms of involuntary intervention. (Author/JAC)

Presents a perspective to help social workers develop the organizational skills needed to practice effectively in hospitals. Examines the nature of hospitals and the hospital worker's practice-building and practice-implementing skills. Examples illustrate task management, creating power, and developing the work role. (JAC)

Interviewed 15 social workers to examine the use of Life Books for children in substitute family care. Results indicated the project was valuable in helping children integrate past and present experiences and develop a sense of identity. (JAC)

Contends that recording has become an administrative rather than a clinical activity, retroactive rather than proactive, bringing its usefulness to clinical practice in question. Presents suggestions for improving the clinical record and for returning it to its proper place as a vital component of clinical practice. (LLL)

Conducted exploratory study to identify factors that may influence some caseworkers to continue employment in public child welfare when so many others are leaving. From comprehensive focused interviews with 23 caseworkers, 4 factors of retention emerged: mission, goodness of fit, supervision, and investment. (Author/NB)

Discusses the particular problems social workers face when working with involuntary clients. Suggests that social conflict perspective, which assumes a conflict of interest between clients and their social environment, is more congruent with clients' perceptions of reality. (JAC)

Encounters, defined as contacts between a social worker and client that have not been regularly scheduled, represent an alternative to the classic casework method. Presents a consumer-oriented strategy based on clinical experience in a public community mental health center in a large urban area. (Author)

Discusses the importance of accurate assessment of the patient's motivations for noncompliance and of wise planning of management to meet these needs. These are essential social work tasks that will enhance patient compliance. (Author/JAC)

Case coordination is an important social work activity with roots in the earliest objectives and functions of the profession. This article outlines the theoretical framework of case coordination and describes the tasks, skills, and knowledge essential to it. (Author)

Social action should be an integral part of everyday casework practice, not merely an adjunct to it. The technique of environmental modification may be an important avenue for bringing this about. It can help bridge the gap between case advocacy and large-scale social action for generating institutional change. (Author)

Reviews the development of social work views about the person-environment interface as an evolutionary process. Charges that Fischer's criticism of theory and of pressing for rank empiricism and an emphasis on technique as a basis for practice is a sure way to social work's demise as a knowledge-based profession. (JAC)

Surveyed 94 social organizations to describe and analyze recordkeeping. Results show records typically contain: (1) a social history; (2) worker's assessment; (3) goals; (4) service plan; (5) progress notes; and (6) summary. Records function first to facilitate service delivery. (JAC)

Describes how social workers in a family agency were trained to apply single-case evaluation procedures. The staff's assessment points to four factors that influence practice evaluation: (1) perceived relevance to job responsibilities, (2) utility for immediate action of decision makers, (3) involvement of practitioners, and (4) organizational…