An Investigation using a Case Study Approach into the Impact on a Counselling Team in the UK of an Organisational Restructuring within a Family Support Service

Following an organisational restructuring of a hospice in the UK, the author has used a case study approach to investigate the impact of this on a team of volunteer counsellors of which she was a member. A small number of the volunteer counsellors completed a questionnaire and some managers and other professionals were interviewed, and summaries of responses through each method are presented. The results are reviewed in terms of several transactional analysis concepts, and the author concludes by hypothesising that the impact of the restructuring on the counsellors appeared to parallel the sense of vulnerability felt by their clients.

Registration: Ten years on within a non-government organisation

The Social Workers Registration Act 2003 has now been part of legislation for 10 years. This remains a voluntary registration and has been embraced by some organisations but not others. Whether social workers wish to become registered has been left to them and their employers to decide, as mandatory registration has not yet been legislated. This article considers the implementation of registration on Family Works Southland, the Child and Family Support Service of Presbyterian Support Southland, a non-government organisation. As a team leader within the agency, I have included my observations along with discussions held with staff and input from the manager and director.