Re: measuring stress levels child welfare workers (who cares!)

[Aron Shlonsky <shlonsky@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Seems to me that both issues are valid, but they should be addressed within 
the context and culture of the entire system.  Eileen Gambrill and I just 
published an article that's somewhat related to this in the latest issue of 
Children and Youth Services Review (vol 23, 1).  In it, we highlight the 
need for a comprehensive risk management system, which includes the risk 
the agency itself poses to children, families, and workers.

Aron

At 03:42 PM 3/16/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>Thank you to Niki Delson for approaching this topic from a different
>perspective.  Also as someone who 'trains' others, I have found similar
>resistence to taking some responsibility about the mixed emotions involved in
>decision making  and that 'blaming' the organisation, government etc. is
>often far 'safer'.  It is not only social workers but teachers, health
>visitors and so on.  There are huge organisational dynamics involved where
>often the behaviour of the professionals 'reflects' the families they are
>dealing with (the comparison between the social workers and battered women
>was very interesting) and the meaning of personal behaviours within a team
>can get lost.
>
>However, John Murray's original comments were provocative to say the least
>and perhaps were intended to be so.
>
>Maria Robinson

Aron Shlonsky, MSW, MPH
UC Berkeley
School of Social Welfare
Center for Social Services Research
16 Haviland Hall #7400
Berkeley, CA  94720-7400
(510) 642-8139
(510) 642-1895 fax
shlonsky@uclink4.berkeley.edu