Close but not too close. Distant but not too distant
Reflections on the client-social worker relationship from single mothers and social workers in Australia, USA, Canada, Russia and Norway
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v4i1.46Keywords:
welfare delivering systems, opinion about social workers and what is regarded as help, closeness in the relationship, discourse on “suitable social distance”Abstract
In this explorative and comparative article a suitable social distance in the client-social worker relationship will be in focus. When do clients need a social worker “as if she is a friend” and when do they appreciate a professional “as if she is a stranger”? How does context have an impact on what we see as legitimate relationships? We will be listening to voices on these issues from poor single mothers and social workers in five countries – Australia, USA, Canada, Russia and Norway.
References
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Iarskaia-Smirnova: Social Work in Russia. In: Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educational and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 25/2001.
Iarskaia-Smirnova, Elena and Pavel Romanov: Single mothers, poverty and social work: A case study from Russia In: Lyngstad R., G.S. Hutchinson, L. Lund, and S.Oltedal (Eds).: Single mothers, poverty and social work. Case studies from Norway, Australia, Canada, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 8/2004.
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Lyngstad R., G.S. Hutchinson, L. Lund, and S.Oltedal (Eds).: Single mothers, poverty and social work. Case studies from Norway, Australia, Canada, Russia and USA. HBO-report 8/2004.
Lyngstad, Rolv: The welfare state in the wake of globalization: The case of Norway. In: International Social Work 51(1): 69-81 Sage Publications: Los Angeles, London, New Dehli and Singapore 2008.
Rasch, William: Introduction: The Self-Positing Society. In: Luhmann, Niklas: Theories of Distinction. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 2002.
Scott, John W.: ”Deconstructing Equality-Versus-Difference: Or, the Uses of Poststructuralist Theory for Feminism”. In: McCann, Carole R. & Seung-Kyung Kim (eds.): Feminst Theory Reader, Routledge, New York and London, 2003.
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Simmel, George: The Philosophy of Money Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd Second Edition 1990.
Berger P. L & T. Luckmann: The social construction of reality. Harmondsworth: Penguin Book 1966.
Blumer,Herbert: What is wrong with social theory? In: American sociological review. Vol.19,nr.1 1954.
Brown, Pamela: Social Work in USA. In: Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educartional and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 25/2001.
Brown, Pamela: Poverty, Public Assistance and Single Mothers. A comparative Look at Norway, Russia and the U.S. In: Journal of Comparative Social Work. Online journal: www.jcsw.no. Hosted by Bodoe University College, Norway. Issue nr 1 2008.
Butler. Judith: Performative acts and gender constitution: An essay in phenomenology and feminist theory. In: McCann, Carole R. & Seung-Kyung Kim (eds.): Feminst Theory Reader, Routledge, New York and London, 2003.
Carey-Belanger, Elaine: Social Work in Canada. In: Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educartional and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 25/2001.
Charmaz, Kathy: Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. London: Sage. 2006.
Clarke, Simon: On strangers, phantasy, terror and the human imagination. In: Journal of human rights Vol. 1, no. 3 (September 2002) pages 345-355. Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Group
Coady, Nick and Peter Lehmann (eds.): Theoretical perspectives for direct social work practice: a generalist- eclectic approach. Second Edition. Springer Publishing Company LLC, New York, 2008.
Glaser, B.G and A.L. Strauss: The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago: Aldine. 1967 Healy; Karen: Social Work Practices Sage 2000.
Healy, Karen: Social Work in Australia. In: Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educational and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA. HBO-report 25/2001.
Healy, Karen: Social work theories in context: Creating framework for practice. London, Palgrave MacMIllan. 2005.
Heikkilä, M., Hvinden, B., Kautto, M., Marklund, S. & Ploug, N. : Nordic Social Policy. Changing Welfare States. Routlegde, London and New York, 1999.
Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educational and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA. HBO-report 25/2001.
Iarskaia-Smirnova: Social Work in Russia. In: Hutchinson, G.S., L. Lund, R. Lyngstad and S.Oltedal ( Eds).: Social work in five countries. Professional, Educational and Social Policy Context for Social Work in Australia, Canada, Norway, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 25/2001.
Iarskaia-Smirnova, Elena and Pavel Romanov: Single mothers, poverty and social work: A case study from Russia In: Lyngstad R., G.S. Hutchinson, L. Lund, and S.Oltedal (Eds).: Single mothers, poverty and social work. Case studies from Norway, Australia, Canada, Russia and USA.. HBO-report 8/2004.
Luhmann, Niklas: Sociale systemer. Grundrids til en almen teori. Oversat af John Cederstroem og Jens Rasmussen, Munksgaard, 1993.
Luhmann, Niklas: Theories of Distinction. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 2002.
Lyngstad R., G.S. Hutchinson, L. Lund, and S.Oltedal (Eds).: Single mothers, poverty and social work. Case studies from Norway, Australia, Canada, Russia and USA. HBO-report 8/2004.
Lyngstad, Rolv: The welfare state in the wake of globalization: The case of Norway. In: International Social Work 51(1): 69-81 Sage Publications: Los Angeles, London, New Dehli and Singapore 2008.
Rasch, William: Introduction: The Self-Positing Society. In: Luhmann, Niklas: Theories of Distinction. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California 2002.
Scott, John W.: ”Deconstructing Equality-Versus-Difference: Or, the Uses of Poststructuralist Theory for Feminism”. In: McCann, Carole R. & Seung-Kyung Kim (eds.): Feminst Theory Reader, Routledge, New York and London, 2003.
Schutz: Hverdagslivets sosiologi. Hanz Reitzels forlag, Koebenhavn, 1972. Simmel, George: The sociology of Georg Simmel. The Free Press 1950.
Simmel, George: The Philosophy of Money Routledge and Kegan Paul Ltd Second Edition 1990.
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Published
2009-04-01
How to Cite
Oltedal, S. (2009). Close but not too close. Distant but not too distant: Reflections on the client-social worker relationship from single mothers and social workers in Australia, USA, Canada, Russia and Norway. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 4(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.31265/jcsw.v4i1.46
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