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Knowledge and Perceptions of the Social Services*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Ann Glampson ,
Bryan Glastonbury  and
David Fruin
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Abstract

This article reports on an attempt to discover the attitudes of members of the public towards a range of personal and family problems, all of which could be seen as relevant to the work of social service departments. The data are drawn from two samples: one of current users of a social services department and the other from the general public.

Our outline findings show that although users seem more aware of the potential of social service departments than other members of the community, there is nevertheless substantial confusion and disagreement over appropriate services for different problem situations. It was equally clear that for several quite important problems many people saw voluntary or neighbourhood involvement as more relevant than intervention by a statutory agency. On the basis of these findings we discuss the following suggestions for social service departments. Firstly, education programmes are necessary to improve general knowledge about the personal social services, but structured in such a way as to avoid stimulating demand which cannot be met – we are critical of the Seebohm report's analogy of personal social services with commerce. Secondly, more attention needs to be paid to relationships between social workers and other professionals who may be intermediaries in contacts between the potential client and the agency. Thirdly, social service departments should assess their own priorities with greater sensitivity towards the community viewpoint, since we found not only a significant willingness for people to get involved in social service but a keenness to participate in policy making.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , January 1977 , pp. 1 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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References

1 Report of the Committee on Local Authority and Allied Personal Social Services (Seebohm Report), Cmnd. 3703, London: HMSO. 1968.Google Scholar

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6 A second survey of clients has since been undertaken in 1975, and a paper comparing the two studies is in preparation.

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