RELATIONSHIP COMPETENCES IN CHILD-WELFARE SERVICES

A series of nine focus groups were conducted to obtain worker and clie nt views of key competencies in child welfare services. Both clients a nd workers cited the worker's ability to establish an effective workin g relationship as the primary prerequisite to effective assessment or intervention. A range of specific worker-client relationship competenc ies are identified and discussed, as are implications of the findings for social work practice, training, and education.