NCJ Number
102314
Date Published
1986
Length
158 pages
Annotation
This review of police-social worker interaction in Great Britain considers points of interaction, difficulties encountered, general aspects of collaboration, work with particular client groups, and police-social worker cooperation in community-based services.
Abstract
Police and social workers experience similar environmental variables, and personnel in both types of organizations are conditioned by distinctive occupational cultures that often obstruct cooperation with other professionals. A common involvement in community services makes it imperative that police and social workers develop collaborative networks. Collaboration is particularly needed in the management of mentally disordered persons, child abuse, domestic violence, and juvenile offenders. Person-to-person contacts between police officers and social workers should undermine negative stereotypes and lead to a mutual appreciation of one another's roles in community service. Informal exchanges of information can enhance the effectiveness of both services, and cooperative planning can facilitate each agency's drawing upon the resources of the other when it has reached the limits of its own expertise in dealing with a particular case. Chapter notes, references, and subject index.