- Author:
Elizabeth Macadam. George Allen&Unwin Ltd. Pp.145. 6s.
” Social work is not ‘ welfare ‘, not ‘ doing
goodnot ‘ case work not even ‘ relief or
Prevention of distress I have tried to show
that it covers much more than these. It extends
to the community as a whole and is concerned
with all efforts to create throughout the world
equal opportunities?physical, economic, intellectual, and spiritual, for all
, This width of horizon is characteristic of Elizabeth
^acadam’s survey of the last twenty years of development and of her hopes for the future of education for
ocial service. The range of her view does not detract
j,?tn the details of the foreground, but rather adds to
fleir significance. She is, for example, concerned both
nh the vexed problem of relating practical and theoretical
spects of training, and with the value of the study of
cial sciences to those in kindred professions?teachers,
, ?ctors and clergy. She interests herself and her readers
?th in the gradually changing functions of the local
Rrnment administrator, and also in the deliberations
th foreign and Colonial Offices on developments in.
? selection and training of civil servants.
, J he education of social workers is, as Miss Macadam
?*lf shows, a timely subject. Questions are being
*sed on all sides as to the best preparation for the
j Velopment of new or rapidly changing services. A
rge number of government and other reports from
ry diverse sources bear directly or indirectly upon
e same subject. Through these surveys, to which
?st useful and comprehensive reference is made, there
f n certain common problems to which answers must be
t, Und if plans of reconstruction are to get further than
e counters of His Majesty’s Stationery Office. How
aY the best individuals be attracted into the social
rvices, whether at the centre, or at the circumference,
ed e the servant meets the citizen ? At what stage in
e “cation and experience can special training most
Wj^ely develop wisdom and skill ? How may those
, tn capacity for the science and art of social service be
? selected ? Does the university provide the best
b King for tj1js kjncj stucjy) anci if S0) how can jt 5e
?ught into a good working relation with the social
tinVlCes l’le comnmmty and the professional organizans to which they have given rise ?
Dr k? one is better qualified to bring perspective to these
?blems than the author, who helped to found the first?
of the Social Science Departments in the University of
Liverpool, and who has for twenty-five years been the
secretary of the Joint University Council for Social
Studies. It is encouraging to find a note of optimism
running through her writing. Leading social organizations have ” moved with the times Social work is
taking its place amongst the recognized professions.
Even Government Departments are beginning to depart
from tradition and gingerly to open a few doors to those
who have a claim to special knowledge of human welfare.
Local Authorities not infrequently express an interest
in special training for their social services.
Miss Macadam is perhaps more appreciative of the
achievements of the professional associations than their
own members would be. Of particular interest to
readers of this journal will be her comment upon the
important influence on the whole social training movement of those who have concerned themselves with
training social workers for the mental health services.
Nevertheless, in her own generous way, the
author, makes her criticisms and misgivings clear.
Experience after the last war showed a decline of interest
after the ” reconstruction boom “. Will history repeat
itself? The universities cannot possibly fulfil the
important task which she feels belongs properly to them
unless they are given far more adequate facilities for
teaching and for research. Practical training will only
be raised to a proper level if there is a much closer working
relation between the training organizations and the
Social Science Departments?a change which the author
thinks is dependent upon the appointment of tutors in
the methods and practice of social work on to the staff
of the university. There must be far more interchange
between the University and the social services.
‘’ A school of social study is an amphibious
body requiring two elements for its very existence.
It belongs to the community as well as to the
university and must have direct contacts with
administrative bodies of all kinds in the world of
action outside. Without such contacts the
school has no raison d’etre. It becomes as
meaningless as a medical school without a
hospital, an education department with no practising school, an engineering department with no
workshop.’’’’
In line with this view is the suggestion that the
universities should establish sub-centres of social study
in areas outside their reach, and that there should be
set up a National Institute of Social Studies, comparable
in social affairs with the Royal Institute of International
Affairs, and forming a centre ” not only for social
planners, but for social practitioners “.
On some of these issues one could wish for fuller
discussion and sometimes more radical criticism. All
experienced social workers anxious to carry their hopes
and discontents further will find Miss Macadam’s little
book an admirable and sympathetic guide. For those
new to the subject it will be of the greatest possible value
in giving them up-to-date facts and finely tempered
judgment.
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See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/about/scanning/
Social Servant in the Making
Elizabeth Macadam. George Allen&Unwin Ltd. Pp.145. 6s.
” Social work is not ‘ welfare ‘, not ‘ doing goodnot ‘ case work not even ‘ relief or Prevention of distress I have tried to show that it covers much more than these. It extends to the community as a whole and is concerned with all efforts to create throughout the world equal opportunities?physical, economic, intellectual, and spiritual, for all , This width of horizon is characteristic of Elizabeth ^acadam’s survey of the last twenty years of development and of her hopes for the future of education for ocial service. The range of her view does not detract j,?tn the details of the foreground, but rather adds to fleir significance. She is, for example, concerned both nh the vexed problem of relating practical and theoretical spects of training, and with the value of the study of cial sciences to those in kindred professions?teachers, , ?ctors and clergy. She interests herself and her readers ?th in the gradually changing functions of the local Rrnment administrator, and also in the deliberations th foreign and Colonial Offices on developments in. ? selection and training of civil servants.
, J he education of social workers is, as Miss Macadam ?*lf shows, a timely subject. Questions are being *sed on all sides as to the best preparation for the j Velopment of new or rapidly changing services. A rge number of government and other reports from ry diverse sources bear directly or indirectly upon e same subject. Through these surveys, to which ?st useful and comprehensive reference is made, there f n certain common problems to which answers must be t, Und if plans of reconstruction are to get further than e counters of His Majesty’s Stationery Office. How aY the best individuals be attracted into the social rvices, whether at the centre, or at the circumference, ed e the servant meets the citizen ? At what stage in e “cation and experience can special training most Wj^ely develop wisdom and skill ? How may those , tn capacity for the science and art of social service be ? selected ? Does the university provide the best b King for tj1js kjncj stucjy) anci if S0) how can jt 5e ?ught into a good working relation with the social tinVlCes l’le comnmmty and the professional organizans to which they have given rise ? Dr k? one is better qualified to bring perspective to these ?blems than the author, who helped to found the first? of the Social Science Departments in the University of Liverpool, and who has for twenty-five years been the secretary of the Joint University Council for Social Studies. It is encouraging to find a note of optimism running through her writing. Leading social organizations have ” moved with the times Social work is taking its place amongst the recognized professions.
Even Government Departments are beginning to depart from tradition and gingerly to open a few doors to those who have a claim to special knowledge of human welfare. Local Authorities not infrequently express an interest in special training for their social services. Miss Macadam is perhaps more appreciative of the achievements of the professional associations than their own members would be. Of particular interest to readers of this journal will be her comment upon the important influence on the whole social training movement of those who have concerned themselves with training social workers for the mental health services. Nevertheless, in her own generous way, the author, makes her criticisms and misgivings clear.
Experience after the last war showed a decline of interest after the ” reconstruction boom “. Will history repeat itself? The universities cannot possibly fulfil the important task which she feels belongs properly to them unless they are given far more adequate facilities for teaching and for research. Practical training will only be raised to a proper level if there is a much closer working relation between the training organizations and the Social Science Departments?a change which the author thinks is dependent upon the appointment of tutors in the methods and practice of social work on to the staff of the university. There must be far more interchange between the University and the social services.
‘’ A school of social study is an amphibious body requiring two elements for its very existence. It belongs to the community as well as to the university and must have direct contacts with administrative bodies of all kinds in the world of action outside. Without such contacts the school has no raison d’etre. It becomes as meaningless as a medical school without a hospital, an education department with no practising school, an engineering department with no workshop.’’’’
In line with this view is the suggestion that the universities should establish sub-centres of social study in areas outside their reach, and that there should be set up a National Institute of Social Studies, comparable in social affairs with the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and forming a centre ” not only for social planners, but for social practitioners “. On some of these issues one could wish for fuller discussion and sometimes more radical criticism. All experienced social workers anxious to carry their hopes and discontents further will find Miss Macadam’s little book an admirable and sympathetic guide. For those new to the subject it will be of the greatest possible value in giving them up-to-date facts and finely tempered judgment.
Disclaimer
The historical material in this project falls into one of three categories for clearances and permissions:
While we are in the process of adding metadata to the articles, please check the article at its original source for specific copyrights.
See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/about/scanning/