Computers and the Daily Life of Social Workers

Abstract

This chapter follows a similar line to the previous one, in that it continues to give an airing to the reservations social workers may have about allowing computers into their work. Several of the same themes will surface, but instead of looking at them from a political or ethical viewpoint, the focus will move to the way they impinge on the day-to-day tasks of the social worker. The broad aim of the chapter is to discuss the background and seek a response to two questions a social worker might feel inclined to pose: ‘What effect will the computer have on my job?’ and ‘What’s in it for me?’ It is probably most helpful to think of these questions as shrouded in overtones of suspiciousness and a little cynicism, because they do reflect fears about what will happen to direct work with clients, about the extra chores that will emerge and about what might be called the ‘interfering computer’.