Client and staff satisfaction with the workings of a multidisciplinary
child protection agency were investigated using interviews and standa
rd questionnaires. The goal was to discover the nature and strength of
the helping relationship between service-recipients and providers. Cu
rrent clients (N = 24) expressed a great deal of satisfaction with the
staff and services. The agency staff (N = 21, with 11 employed at lea
st half-time to work directly with families) were relatively satisfied
with their jobs, and showed little evidence of the burnout which has
been recognized as a risk for child protection workers. They were able
to relate empathically to clients and felt enthusiasm for the work. T
aking account of possible bias in both sets of answers, there is still
evidence that the agency is succeeding in creating a necessary precon
dition for therapeutic change: the development of accepting and positi
ve worker-client relationships.