NCJ Number
138177
Date Published
1990
Length
203 pages
Annotation
The experiences and roles of doctors, clergy, police, and probation officers in relation to the unemployment of their clients were examined by means of interviews of 117 of these four types of helpers who worked in Birmingham, England, in 1987, when unemployment was relatively high.
Abstract
Information for the study also came from a literature review. Results revealed that each profession approaches the problems of unemployed clients from its own perspective, neglecting or missing other perspectives. As a result of the limitations of each perspective, significant differences were found regarding how the unemployed person is defined and labeled. The clergy tended to view the unemployed person as the unfortunate victim of social circumstances. In contrast, the police view was that an unemployed person was an ineffective wastrel. However, some individuals in each profession held views different from those of the majority. The gap between the experiences and perspectives of professionals and unemployed persons also makes communications problematic, although no professional group should ignore the implications of social conditions such as unemployment and poverty for the relevance of some of its own interventions. In addition, each profession has settings in which help can be a balanced, negotiative interaction between the helper and the client. Case examples, index, and 140 references