Richard Pugh and Brain Cheers
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9781861347213
- eISBN:
- 9781447303305
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781861347213.003.0006
- Subject:
- Social Work, Social Policy
This chapter focuses upon the delivery of personal social services: approaches to practice designed to meet the particular needs of individuals, families, and small groups. A new reader coming to the ...
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This chapter focuses upon the delivery of personal social services: approaches to practice designed to meet the particular needs of individuals, families, and small groups. A new reader coming to the subject of rural social work might be forgiven for wondering if there was an intrinsic conflict between personal social services and community social work. This is hardly surprising given the widespread use of the term ‘community’ to signify approaches to practice that are responsive to local context. Notions of partnership and localisation of service are hallmarks of so-called community-oriented practice. The chapter examines three dimensions of service delivery: service location and point of delivery, mode of delivery, and organisational independence and degree of specialisation. It also distinguishes four dimensions or forms of practice – generalist/specialist, visiting, embedded, and mandated or statutory practice – and reviews their implications for the provision of rural services.Less
This chapter focuses upon the delivery of personal social services: approaches to practice designed to meet the particular needs of individuals, families, and small groups. A new reader coming to the subject of rural social work might be forgiven for wondering if there was an intrinsic conflict between personal social services and community social work. This is hardly surprising given the widespread use of the term ‘community’ to signify approaches to practice that are responsive to local context. Notions of partnership and localisation of service are hallmarks of so-called community-oriented practice. The chapter examines three dimensions of service delivery: service location and point of delivery, mode of delivery, and organisational independence and degree of specialisation. It also distinguishes four dimensions or forms of practice – generalist/specialist, visiting, embedded, and mandated or statutory practice – and reviews their implications for the provision of rural services.
