Client Readiness in Aggressive Casework: A Study of Five Cases Treated in the New York City Bureau of Attendance Case Study Unit, September 1956-June 1959
Abstract
The enactment of compulsory education legislation may be thought of as protective legislation to insure the child’s natural right to an education. The Education Law of New York State requires that children between the ages of seven and seventeen years attend school when physically and mentally fit. According to Fritz Redl, “Schools are the institutions set up by society to help the young acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed in adult living.” Most children attend school regularly and avail themselves of this opportunity for growth and development. There are however, a certain number of children who are excessively absent from school for various reasons. In New York City, the Bureau of Attendance of the Board of Education is the agency assigned the problem of helping school nonattendants. If one accepts the premise stated above, that most children in our society attend school regularly, then it must be assumed that the child who is chronically absent is having some difficulties in his general life adjustment that are contributing to his absence. As early as 1907, Mary Richmond noted that “our educational associations are urging the need of school visitors to make better connections between the school and the home. “ This was during the period in the development of social casework in which the friendly visitor was the primary practitioner of casework. The friendly visitors were volunteer workers working under the auspices of the charities organization societies. Their work was primarily concerned with "the poor" and their efforts were directed towards helping them to improve their situations. With the passage of years, the profession of social work has evolved and there has been increased knowledge and understanding of human behavior. New methods, techniques, and skills have been developed which have become an integral part of the social worker’s equipment As casework motivates the client to free his capacities and potential for adjusting to and utilizing social institutions, the importance and the necessity of casework with certain school children has been recognized. The field of school social work has grown and developed. In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the importance of applying casework methods in working with certain attendance problems.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Social work
Recommended Citation
Moss, Sara, "Client Readiness in Aggressive Casework: A Study of Five Cases Treated in the New York City Bureau of Attendance Case Study Unit, September 1956-June 1959" (1959). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30557734.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30557734
