Reviews : The Law on the Misuse of Drugs Rudi Fortson Sweet & Maxwell, 1988, £27.00 hbk, 330pp
| Date | 01 June 1989 |
| DOI | 10.1177/026455058903600206 |
| Published date | 01 June 1989 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
REVIEWS Comments, contributions and sugges-
tions
to Keith Skerman, Probation
Office, 191A Askew Road, London
W12. Tel 01-603 5511.
Access to Agreement
have on the encounter with the sec-
Gwynn Davis and Marian Roberts
ond ? What impact does mediation work
Open University Press, 1988;
have upon the practice of staff who also _
£8.95 pbk, 163pp.
do court welfare reports? The impact
for this court welfare officer was a
South East London’s Family Concilia-
heightened appreciation of what par-
tion Bureau is a fascinating hybrid: a
ents perceive as legitimate bargaining,
non-coercive, voluntary mediation ser-
what they gauge as fair or unreason-
vice that is the Creature of a statutory
able, what they value as a ’sense of solid
court welfare service, sharing premises
purpose’ in their workers, how to grap-
and staff. The authors were invited to
ple as an outsider with the private
research the project and chose to can-
communication codes of couples, how
vas the views of 51 recipients of its
one can alienate parents by theory-
supposed benefits. This is thus primari-
based ‘e~ertise’, the importance of
ly a consumer study rather than an
respecting parents’ legitimate differ-
organisational analysis, illuminating:
ences
over
their children’s
best
just what it is that mediators have to
interests.
offer within ’party control’; what
In the
exper-
messy, tentative business of
tise, style or values do they adopt; how
post-separation resolution there is
truly voluntary are negotiations; are
much here that is heartening, and this
gender-based
book deserves
power imbalances per-
study by Civil Work
petuated ; how is the outcome affected
Units debating whether and how to
by the stage reached in the divorce or
sponsor and resource such a service.
by the influence of new partners?
Nigel Stone
Though over 20% of parents had
Court Welfare Team, Norwich
been referred to the bureau by the
court or by the court welfare officer
The Law on the
assigned to their case...
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