Groupwork
| DOI | 10.1177/026455056501100303 |
| Published date | 01 September 1965 |
| Author | Howard Jones |
| Date | 01 September 1965 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
91
include
representatives
not
only
of
the
administration
but
of
workers
in
the
field,
from
the
services
referred
to
in
thc
White
Paper.
Although
the
Address
from
the
Throne
cannot
be
anticipated,
it
is
commonly
expected
that
reference
will
be
made
to
legislation
embodying
the
proposals
in
the
White
Paper,
and
that
this
will
be
introduced
in
the
forthcoming
Parlia-
mentary
session.
The
Association
wishes
to
make
a
strong
plea
that
this
legislation
should
not
be
regarded
as
a
party
matter.
The
future
welfare
of
our
children
should
not
be
a
subject
for
political
warfare,
and
if
legislation
is
to
be
carried
under
the
direction
of
the
party
whips
reasonable
consideration
of
amendments
will
become
difficult.
We
feel
that
any
legislation
arising
from
the
White
Paper
should
be
dealt
with
in
Parliament
and
Committee
through
free
votes,
so
that
those
in
all
parties
who
have
the
welfare
of
children
at
heart
and
are
concerned
about
the
problems
of
delinquency
will
be
able
to
make
the
best
possible
contribution
to
the
solution
of
the
problems
to
which
the
White
Paper
refers.
GROUPWORK
Some
General
Considerations
Howard
Jones
FOR
THE
PAST
three
years,
we
in
Leicester
University
have
been
engaged
in
experiments
in
training
probation
officers
for
work
with
groups.
Some
30
officers
from
nine
probation
areas
have
passed
through
these
courses,
and
almost
all
ended
by
conducting
counselling
groups
with
probationers,
at
least
for
a
time.
We
had
in
mind
a
three-year
programme
of
this
sort,
in
the
expectation
that
the
Home
OfFce
might
then
feel
enough
had
been
done
to
make
some
evaluation
worthwhile
and
possible.
Our
hope
was,
of
course,
that
if
groupwork
proved
to
have
a
useful
contribution
to
make
in
probation,
it
would
be
introduced
into
the
officer’s
basic
training.
Two
main
arguments
may
be
put
forward
for
attempting
something
of
this
kind.
One
is
the
genuine
difficulty
of
doing
intensive
work
with
probationers
in
view
of
the
size
of
caseloads:
and
the
other,
the
possibility
that
in
some
cases
a
delinquent’s
basic
problems
may
he
tackled
more
readily
within
a
group
setting
than
within
the
more
usual
framework
of
the
one-to-one
relationship.
QuanNty
Affects
Quality
It
is
hardly
necessary
to
elaborate
the
first
point,
for
probation
officers
con-
stantly
experience
the
frustration
of
trying
to
do
intensive
casework
in
a
situa-
tion
in
which
too
little
time
is
available
to
see
clients
often
enough,
or
for
long
enough
periods.
The
selection
of
cases
to
receive
special
attention
must
then
be
difficult,
and
rather
invidious,
making
rationalisations
about
the
limited
require-
ments
of
the
rest
only
too
tempting.
And
whether
one
succumbs
to
the
latter
or
not,
there
is
little
one
can
do
about
it.
This
situation
is
not
going
to
become
much
easier
in
the
foreseeable
future.
Streatfeild,
and
the
A.C.T.O.
Report
will
ensure
that.
Nor
can
a
permanent
solution
really
lie
in
the
more
rapid
recruit-
ment
of
staff,
though
further
deterioration
may
be
staved
off
in
this
way.
We
To continue reading
Request your trial