Ah bXPLURAfUiY STULH OF 13h GENERAL NAthL OF fibQprfb FUR :hRVICh AT Tub LAHLIHG FANILY thUle AGENCY DURING 1952 by Henry Charles MIMI“III\IIIIIIIIIIIIII 1293 106 MSU LIBRARIES “ RETURNING MATERIALS: PIace in book drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES will be charged if book is returned after the date stamped below. 4’) (‘9 AN EXPLORATOBY STUDY OF THE GENERAL NATURE OF REQUESTS FOR SERVICE AT THE LANSING FAMILY SERVMGENCY DURING 1952 By Henry Charles Kursik A PROJECT REPORT Submitted to the Department of Social Work Michigan State College in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK August 1955 m m . . __J' j on) ‘ as //c»- MSU LIBRARIES “— \J i I 3 rum-.533 153: la n2. E’s-grant; ,,.‘ RETURNING MATERIALS: RTace in boOk drop to remove this checkout from your record. FINES wiII be charged if book is A returned after the date stamped beIow. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments ................................................ List of Tables ................................................. CHAPTER I Introduction ............................................ II Scope, methodology, and Objectivity ..................... Scope .............................................. Ebthodology ........................................ Degree of Objectivity .............................. III Historical Background ................................... Historical Background of Family Agencies ........... Historical Background of the Lansing Family Service Agency ..................................... Present Structure and Operation of the Lansing Family Service Agency ...................... IV Presentation and analysis of Findings ................... V Summary and Conclusions ................................. Appendix A ..................................................... lippendix B 0.00.0...OOOOOOOOCOOOOQOOOOOOOO0.0..OOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Bibliograpm 0.0.0.0....0.0.00.0000.000000...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOIOOOO ii iii iv 10 14 20 45 51 53 54 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer is greatly indebted to mr. Gordon J. Aldridge for his supervision and assistance in the writing of this project. Sincere thanks go to mr. Aldridge'Whose patience and encouragement helped to make the study possible. Grateful acknowledgment is also due Dr. Ernest B. Harper, head of the Department of Social WOrk and nr. Bernard Ross for their helpful suggestions. The investigator wishes to acknowledge with appreciation Hr. manfred Lilliefors for his valuable help with the technical aspects of this study. The assistance given.by Hrs. C. Gladys Spaulding, executive secretary of the Lansing Family Service Agency, is greatly appreciated. Through her kindness, the materials for this study were made available. The writer also wishes to thank the professional and clerical staffs of the Lansing Family Service agency for their assistance in the clari- fication of records and materials used. To the writer's wife, Donna, go thanks for her encouragement and helpfulness throughout the writing of this project. iii TABLE II III IV LIST OF TABLES PHGE Services Requested, Lansing Family Service Agency, 1952 ......................... 23 Sources of Information and Referral, Lansing Family Service Agency, 1952 00000009000000.000000000000000on...000.0 28 Percentage of Requests According to Sources of Information and Referral, Lansing Family Service Agency, 1952 ooooocoooooooococoooooooooooooooococcoco 30 Distribution of Requests for Service, Lansing Family Service Agency, 1952 cocooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo 33 iv CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to explore the general nature of the requests for service, through sources of information and refer- ral, at the Family Service Agency of Lansing, Michigan during 1952. As the basis of an eXploratory study, this purpose grew out of the fact that people do visit the family agency seeking specific services. Like the other institutions that exist in the community, the schools, courts, et cetera, the family agency exists in order that . certain needs in the comnnmity may be met. To meet these needs the community provides for a service which the family agency offers. The family agency has in the past offered a number of varying services. These services, for the most part, arose in response to the needs which had been identified and for which the community accepted some responsibility. The nature of the service which the family agency has offered in the past has undergone considerable change." From its initial con-, cern with the prevention and removal of the causes of poverty and desti- - tution, the family agency has become increasingly concerned with helping individuals overcome the disabling effects of social and personal maladjustment. As such, the service, which is applicable to all, has become a professional method of helping. The resultant trend toward specialization and the concern with tension states which tend to disrupt sound family life has decreased the number of services which the agency performs but it has broadened the base of problems with which the family agency is concerned. As the principal agency offering casework help with prdblems of personal and family adjustment, the family agency is prepared to give help with a wide range of problems. iHelp with certain problems is requested to a greater extent than with others, depending upon the immediate need which the client faces. As this need affects the client, so does it affect the agency, for it is around this specific request that the casework service has its beginning. The writer, as a student caseworker with the Lansing Family Service Agency,'undertook this study in an attempt to explore the ‘general natureof the requests which clients presented in 1952. The records used were made available by the Family Service Agency through the kindness of Hrs. C. Gladys Spaulding, executive secretary. The questions that guided the investigator throughout the study were: 1. What was the source of information or referral; that is, how did the applicant hear of the agency? 2. What was the presenting problem; that is, what did the client request help with? 3. were certain requests made more often than others? 4. ‘Were these requests associated with certain sources more than others? 5. What significance did these factors have? CHAPTER I I SCOPE, METHODOLOGY, AND OBJECTIVITY As in any exploratory study there are serious limitations in the data on which the study was based. The number of cases contained in the sub-groups is small and serves to limit the study. Although limited in this respect, the study is more severely limited by the selection of only two factors from.the total intake; the sources of information and referral and the type of presenting problem present inherent limitations. In the former, the exact source cannot always be determined and possibly two or more sources may have suggested that the individual seek help. In the latter, the presenting problem may not be the only problem with which the individual is seek- ing help. Usually there is a constellation of prdblems. Then too, the presenting problem.may not be the problem with which the client really wished help. Caseworkers long ago have learned that the problem presented may represent only what the client feels most comfortable in presenting. After exploration, the individual may acknowledge that the specific request is not the real problem but other factors within himself and his relationships comprise the real problem. Generalizations also cannot be made to family agencies as a 'whole but are limited to this particular agency. Although effort was made to select a valid sample, the results obtained might have been different had the entire population been studied. lbthodologg The actual collection of data was preceded by a number of steps. The first step was to define the area of study. Jith the objective of determining the nature of the current requests for ser- vice, the area of study was defined as the applications or intake requests during 1952. These applications or intake requests did not include requests for legal aid services which are treated as separate applications and not as a part of the agency's regular intake. The requests for service through intake are made unevenly throughout the year. There is a monthly fluctuation with the peak around the last part of the year. Various seasonal factors create these fluctuations and tend to discourage the selection of a series of months. In order to avoid this difficulty, the entire year of 1952 was selected. The total intake or applications for the year totaled 84? cases. However, this was too large a number to be studied at this time. In order to reduce the number and still maintain material which was statistically significant, a twentyefive percent sample of the total intake was selected. A twenty-five percent sample eliminated the season- al fluctuations and also reduced the number of applications to be studied to 211. The initial phases of intake are usually handled by the office receptionist. At the time of application, a major portion of identify- ing data is obtained from the client and transcribed on Family Service Association of America Form 2.1 After the identifying material is obtained the name of the individual is cleared through.the Confidential Exchange to determine the previous contacts the client may have had with any social agency. All agency contacts are listed on the applica- tion form. After the potential client has been "cleared," the application form is given to the intake worker who explores the request and deter- mines whether the agency will assume responsibility for the request. At the completion of the intake interview a duplicate applica- tion blank is transcribed from the original and the initial interview is recorded and placed into the record with the duplicate application forms The original is kept for a period of time and then destroyed. The twenty-five percent sample was obtained by selecting every fourth case from the intake for the entire year of 1952. The material given there, i.e. name, case number, case status and source of refer- ral, was transcribed onto threeeby-five cards. This was later used as a check when the actual application form was selected. In selecting the sample every case was counted and they fell into a distribution of 92 personal referral, or where the individual applied on his own initiative; 95 interested organizations or individuals, or 1Appendix A where the individual may have applied personally but his visit was pre- ceded by a telephone call from.the referral source or by a note or letter; 13 service to other agencies, written report to other agencies requesting information about a client known by the agency; 11 not taken applications, where the agency did not accept responsibility. The two latter categories were noted but disregarded for the purposes of this study. The actual sample to be studied contained 187 cases which con- stituted approximately a twenty-two percent sample. .After the sample was recorded on three-by-five cards, the original application forms were separated on a monthly basis and the application blanks that corresponded with sample cards were extracted. The application blanks that comprised the sample were examined according to a prearranged schedule. In those instances where the+application blank was missing, the three-by-five cards were kept separately and the information was obtained either by pulling the case record, or where the intake worker was still familiar with the information desired, a verbal report was Obtained. In all cases where some question existed as to the actual request the final decision was made by examining the case record. Once the data were obtained the next step was to organize them into classifications. Some classifications were easily made but the type of service requested presented prdblems because of the varied requests. The classifications finally arrived at represent the type of help the client asked for in his initial request. Once the classifications had been established the data were tabulated. Chapter IV is based on the tabulation of these items. De e of 0b ctivit In gathering the material a certain degree of subjectivity was expected since no standardized procedure was introduced for obtaining the client's actual request. This largely depended upon the individual intake worker's recording of what the client wanted, and the writer's interpretation. However, the help requested in most cases appears on the application as a simple, concise statement of an immediate prOblem as the client presented it. A degree of subjectivity was introduced by considering only the presenting prdblem whereas there nmy'be, and frequently is, a constella- tion of problems. There was no attempt made to measure the reliability of the presenting problem. The assumption was that the client's request for help would be a simple statement which would offer a high degree of reliability. No reliability test was felt necessary for sources of information and referral since again reliability was assumed because of the objective nature of the data and broad classification used. The investigator attempted to make the evaluations as realistic and as objective as possible. It is noted again that the data repre- sent only a sample of the total intake. CHAPTER III HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE FAMILY AGENCIES Throughout its development from the charity organization.move- ment to the present, family social work has tended to reflect the dominant trends of the times. Traditionally, however, the family agency has been organized around specific economic needs in the com- munity. It generally came into existence upon disclosures of certain community conditions that seemed to require remedial action. For the most part, these conditions were described qualitatively and stated in terms of the specific remedy prOposed.2 The early agencies often started with undifferentiated roles or functions and often little related to the services of one another and to other community agencies. They contained a number of diversi- fied services and for the most part combined most kinds of social work “under one administration. "Thus one family agency, started a century ago, offered relief, nutrition, day nurseries, convalescent homes, health services, sheltered workshOps and a home for the aged; and when the era permitted it added a mental hygiene clinic. Later other family agencies supported along with family work, housing and court reform activities, legal aid, social service exchanges, early experiments in work relief such as wood yards and laundries and even began schools of social work."3 aKlein, Philip and Voris, Ruth, Some Basic Statistics in Social Work, Columbia University Press, New York, 1933, page 1. 3Hamilton, Gordon, Theory and Practice of Social Casework, Columbia University Press, New York, 1951, page 119. As family social workers studied their methods of dealing with poverty and destitution they reached into other fields of scientific knowledge dominant at the time. The emphasis in the method of meet- ing needs changed accordingly from an initial attitude of moralistic reform to a soci010gical-economic concern.with external causes. Family agencies then passed through an era in which psychology and biology reigned. Following the examination of the mental capacity and.heredi- tary structure of the individual, an inquiry into the functioning of the emotional life gained appreciation among the'workers.4 World war I strengthened.this concentration upon the individual personality through psychiatric insight gained from studying“war neurosis. Although the family agencies still carried a relief function, the emphasis was oriented around the deve10pment of the individual to organize his own capacities in order to use material help more effec- tively. This concentration upon the inner life was soon overwhelmed by the depression of 1929 and family workers found themselves again play- ing a major role in meeting material needs. Later the government assumed the bulk of relief cases and the family agency again turned to the personality as distinct fromrelief.5 The rise of public relief agencies permitted the family agencies to reconsider their role in the community. The majority redefined their roles. The reemphasis of service, although still including some 4Fink, Arthur E., The Field of Social Work, Henry Holt and Com- pany, New York, 1949, pages 116-117. 5Ibid., pages 120-121. 10 financial assistance, refocused attention upon the role of the individ- ual's personality and its place in maladjustment. Help with social and personal prdblems that affect sound family life was considered the area of competence and the area in which the private family agency would function. Lgpgigg Family Sgrvige agency In its historical development the present Family Service Agency has reflected the development of casework and of family agencies as a ‘whole. The changes in the name of the agency itself characterize the evolution of the family agency in the life of the community. A fire which destroyed the records of the agency on December 12, 1920 leaves much of the early history of the agency unknown. The material which is available, however, indicates that prior to 1911 the charitable work was done by various groups which were loosely organized. The Charity Organization Society was contacted and in 1911 the Associated Charities of Lansing was organized. The purpose of the agency at first was the organization.and coordination of charitable work which was done in the community.6 Associated Charities was incorporated under Hichigan Law in 1918. Under Article II of its association the purpose or purposes for which it is formed are as follows: To promote the general welfare of the poor by social and sanitary 6Spaulding, C. Gladys, History of the Socialp§ervice Bureau of LangingI Kighigan. ;909-;9§6, unpublished, July, 1947. ll reform, by industrial instruction and by inculcation of habits of industry and self-dependence, and to assist and help in a charitable way all persons in need of assistance, and by the establishment and maintenance of any activity to these ends.7 Although the goal of this early organization was to "promote the general welfare of the poor" it has always been a service organi- zation in that it had never been asked or forced by the community to assume major responsibility for administration of relief. In its ser- vice to the community since these earliest days it played an important role in initiating and coordinating various social work programs in the city and county.8 The name, Associated Charities, prevailed until 1920 when it was unofficially changed to the Social Service Bureau. During the period of its existence, Associated Charities helped to organize the Community Chest and the Lansing Chapter of the Michigan Children's Aid Society. It sponsored the deveIOpment of a public health program, established a free medical clinic and social center and inaugurated a shelter for unattached and single men.9 This listing of the highlights of the agency's activities does not present a complete picture but it does give some idea of the undifferentiated function of the early agency 0 7ggpiglgs 9:.Aggogiatiog (as amended January 51, 1949) and Byéngs (adOpted April 18, 1949), Family Service Agency of Lansing, Michigan,'unpublished. ‘ 8Hekman, A..A., "Survey of the Social Service Bureau of Lansing, Michigan,'unpublished, page 3. ggggual Report, Lansing Family Service Agency, 1952, unpublished. 12 Unofficially reorganized in 1920 as the Social ServiceBureau, the name reflected the reemphasis of its service function. Kiss Grace Cone, then acting secretary of the Social Service Bureau, reaffirmed this in addressing the annual meeting of the membership in 1921 by saying: "The main objective of our organization is to give service, not relief."10 The change was adapted because of the unpopular interpreta- tion of the good word "charity" and because the new name more nearly eXpressed the work done by the Lansing Socia Service Bureau, the finest of its size of any in the state. The service program of the agency, aside from its family case- work, consisted of the confidential exchange, legal aid, classes for M.A.C. (Michigan Agricultural College) girls and the departmental work done by the social center which was a temporary home for women and children and also has a day nursery. 2 The work of the Bureau, as the name implies, was carried on through departments of which visiting housekeeper, juvenile protection, educational funds, legal aid, and dental aid were mentioned.13 The workers, for the most part, were relatively untrained in social work but extended a helping hand through warm and sympathetic understanding. The twenties were turbulent times and this was reflected in the number and nature of the problems presented. Both fluctuated with the economic conditions. The fluctuation can be illustrated by the problem 10W, Lansing, Michigan, October 11, 1921. 1:'~Ibid., January 2, 1922. 1232.55.10. February 26, 1925. 13-1-2540, January 1’ 19250 13 of unemployment which.at various times gained ascendancy and then receded. Among the most common prdblems during this period were physical illness, indigent transients, non-support, child neglect and domestic infelicity. The years 1925 to 1927 found more attention being paid to behavior problems. This trend continued until the depression of 1929 which soon affected the work of the Bureau. The Bureau was faced by a number of financial reverses during the years 1930 to 1934. It was hard-pressed for resources to maintain its services and more or less marked time until 1935. Its role during the depression was one of directing all of its energy towards provid- ing the actual physical necessities. Cash relief during 1930 totaled "$12,000 as compared with only $4,000 the previous year. This relief ‘was given in addition to food, clothing and other physical necessities.14 Among its depression activities were included distribution of the milk fund, and surplus commodities. many of the workers left to join the public agencies which had been established to meet the emergency. The Years 1933, 1934 and 1935 saw behavior problems on the increase. The period 1935 to 1949 reflects the increasing attention paid to family service work. The first casework supervisor was employed by the agency in 1936.. The trend was toward hiring workers with more graduate training. The intangibles of family casework found their way into more and more of the problems which were being presented. 'The trend continued and was affirmed when the Social Service Bureau was 14%” January 1, 1931. l4 renamed the Family Service Agency on February 1, 1949. The eXpressed purpose of the agency now was to render casework service to families and individuals. Prgsgnt Strugture and Operation From its historical past, the present agency has develOped into a skilled caseworking agency which offers a professional case- work service to peOple with social and personal problems. Its original purpose "to promote the general welfare of the poor" has eXpanded to where the family agency stands ready to contribute to the welfare of all families regardless of race, creed or economic status. This is eXpressed in its present purpose to contribute to harmonious family interrelationships, to strengthen the positive values in family life, and to pro- mote healthy personality development and satisfactory social functioning of various family members. These purposes are carried out through two major functions and three related ones. These functions are (1) providing casework service; (2) partici- pating in community planning; (3) conducting group educa- tional activities; (4) contributing to professional education; and (5) engaging in research. As a member agency of the Family Service Association of America, a family agency must meet an acceptable standard of practice before it is accredited. The Lansing Family Service Agency, as a member agency, 153§op§ and methodg 9f the Family Servige ggencx, Family Service Association of America, New York, 1953, page 3. 151bid., page 3. 15 shares in the advantages which are received through affiliation on a national level. Through the.Association, the agency participates in the public relations program which is carried on by the national organization. The national organization also provides direct service to each member agency through consultation, visits, and correspondence on the entire range of agency problems and concerns. is a voluntary or private agency, the Lansing Family Service Agency is supported by funds contributed by the entire community. As a member agency of the United Community Chest, the agency receives a yearly budgetary appropriation through this organization. The extent to which.the agency is able to expand its program depends to a large extent upon the willingness of the Chest budget committee to grant the requested budgetary apprOpriations. The actual Operating policies of the agency itself are deter- mined by the agency board which is composed of representatives of the community. Board members of the agency are selected through an annual election from the membership body made up of socially minded citizens interested in the work of the agency. Any individual in the community may become a member. Each member has the right to vote in person on any preposal presented for decision at any meeting of members. The board of directors, which had traditionally been limited to fifteen in number, was increased to twenty-one as of January 1, 1952. This increase permits wider community representation in.determining the Operating policies of the agency and.indicates the definite trend toward stimulating wider community participation in the activities of the agency. 16 The staff Of the agency comprises professional and office staffs. Both are necessary in order that the program Of service may be carried out successfully. The professional staff consists of ten members and is composed of the general secretary, casework supervisor, (five) caseworkers, a.homemaker, a consulting psychia- trist and a legal aid attorney. The latter two function on a part- time basis. The office staff consists of an office secretary, a receptionist and a dictaphone Operator. The general secretary is the chief administrative Officer and is responsible for the effective Operation of the agency. In the capacity Of chief administrator, the general secretary carries the responsibility of coordinating board and staff activities. As a professional caseworker, the general secretary also engages in work with clients. The casework supervisor carries the major responsibility for maintaining and raising standards of accepted practice Of the indi- vidual workers. Through regularly scheduled conferences with the individual worker, the supervisor helps the worker to understand better the function Of the agency and the worker's role within that function. The supervisor also engages in direct work with clients. The caseworkers are professionally trained workers who per- form.the job around which the agency is structured. Their job of rendering direct service to clients comprises the bulk Of the agency's service. Upon their skill depends the success Of the agency's program 17 for, regardless of the ability of the board and the general secretary, the agency does not provide the kind of service which the community needs if the caseworking staff is unable to carry out the policies formed by the board. 0n the other hand, the degree to which the staff can apply its skill depends, to a large extent, upon an effective relationship between all administrative groups connected with the agency. The activities of the Family Service Agency are concentrated on rendering a casework service to individuals and family members. Casework service, as defined by the Family Service Association of America, comprises the individualized consideration by a.member Of the casework staff to a problem or problems affecting a particular family or a person not attached to a particular family 'unit, for purposes Of evaluating the problem determining its relation to agency function and assisting in solving the problem.17 Through its casework service the family agency Offers a pro- fessional method of help to persons Who are experiencing difficulties in their family relationships or in other aspects Of their social func- tioning. The professional staff equips the family agency to give help with a wide range of prOblems and makes the fandly'agency'the principal one in the community offering casework help with problems of personal and family maladjustment.18 l7Shyne, Ann. W., Handbook on Statigtical Recordigg and Reportigg in Family Sgpyigg gggngigg, Family Service Association of America, New York, 1949, page 4. 1802: 91t., scope and methods of the Family Service Agency, page 4. 18 The casework program Of the family agency consists Of direct casework service and the complementary services. The direct casework service is given through (1) consultation and referral services and (2) continued casework treatment. Consultation and referral services permit both client and caseworker to examine the problem and to decide 'what treatment is needed and desired. Continued casework treatment is Offered to enable the client who desires to change, a period of sustained contacts to effect this change. The complementary services consist Of specific or special services which are offered in addition to the casework treatment ser- vice. These services are an integral part Of the casework prOgram and are Offered as part of the casework service of the agency.19 At the present time the family agency offers a homemaker ser- vice, cO-sponsors the Legal Aid Bureau and is a cooperating agency of the Traveler's Aid Society in Lansing. Through its homemaker service the agency provides a means of preserving family life for children in homes where death or illness of the mother disrupts normal family life and creates serious problems in the care of the children. The Legal Aid Bureau renders a legal service to those persons who cannot afford an attorney. The service ranges from giving of special information with regard to travel plans to help with deep-seated prOblems. 19Ibid., pages 5-8. 19 In carrying out its second major function the agency, as a member of the Ingham County Council Of Social welfare, participates in joint planning toward the improvement of social conditions and the establishment of new services. The staff and board serve on committees and take part in many community activities. In accordance with its other functions, the agency provides facilities for graduate students in training with schools of social work. During 1952 the agency had six graduate students in training. MRHERIV PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA In exploring the general nature of the presenting requests for service, the sources of information and referral were classified according to the nature Of the source through which the client had indicated he had heard of the agency, or in cases of referral, the referring agency or individual. The general categories consisted of (1) public and private social agencies, (2) private individuals, (3) other community organizations, (4) previous agency contact, and (5) unknown. Requests were classified according to the nature of the pre- senting request made by the client in the application interview and did not include problems which may have been brought out with further exploration of the initial request. In cases where the requests were not specifically stated, the general nature Of the requests was abstracted. Only broad general categories were used. In the majority of cases the presenting request was one Of several problems which were seen by the caseworker. {is can be expected, the professional caseworker, trained in the recOgnition Of problems associated with.maladjustment, would see much more in the presenting problem than the specific request itself. For the purposes of this study only the specific request was used. 21 The request classification consisted Of the following cate- gories: (1) economic, (2) family relationships and personal maladjust- ment, (3) need for complementary service, (4) situational, (5) physical“ illness and mental illness, (6) child welfare, and (7) other. "Economic" included all requests for help with regard to the economic aspects of ordinary living regardless Of the specific circam- stances which brought about the need. In all cases the circumstances may have been different but the requests which were made were common in that the help desired was around an economic situation; a loan, material requests for food, clothing, etc., and also help with finan- cial planning. The latter was classified in this category because of its general nature. in attempt was made to determine the specific re- quest but it was not possible to determine in each case the type of help the client was seeking. The manner of presentation, "I need help with my financial situation," indicated the economic nature of the request. However, it was not possible to interpret its specific meaning. Requests for assistance with family relationships included requests around a variety Of family difficulties. The requests ranged from marital difficulties to difficulties arising from several families “living together. Help with parent-child relationships was included in this category aswas help with personal maladjustment. "Need for complementary service” consisted of those requests which were made of the,agency that required the utilization of a special resource as part of its casework service. Those requests required 22 services Of the homemaker or assistance with travel plans. This cate- gory also included requests in which an indirect service was rendered to a client by the agency through the extension of an offer to help, and requests made by another agency or organization where the family agency was asked to study the client's situation and to evaluate it for the requesting agency. "Child welfare" covered those requests where planning with regard to children was the presenting problem. These included board- ing care for children and abuse and neglect, whether actual or alleged. "Situational" comprised the requests for help with housing or employ- ment, again irrespective of the difficulties which had precipitated the request. The category "other" comprised requests which were not covered in the above categories. For the most part they consisted of requests ‘which were, by nature, incidental. The following illustrations are typical requests in this category: (1) wanted to get in touch with the consulting psychiatrist and he understood that he could do so at the family agency. (2) came to the family agency with a complaint regarding another social agency. Table I indicates the requests which were made by clients hav- ing heard of the service or having been referred by social agencies, individuals, or community organizations. TABLE I SERVICES REQUESTED LANSING-FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY, 1952 23 Requests Economic OOOOOOO’QQOOOOOOOOOOOOO0.000000000000000 Family Relationships and Personal MaladJuStment Cooooooooooooooooooooooo Need for Complementary Service .................. Situational OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOQ Physical Illness and Ebntal Illness oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Child Wélfare 0000000000009...00000000000000...o. Other OOOOOCOOOOOCOOOOOO....OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO00.... TOTAL Number 60 49 37 11 10 8 __Lg_ 187 Percent 52 26 20 5 5 4 __'I'. 100 The presenting requests most frequently made by the client, or for the client, in the initial interview were of an economic nature. Occurring in 60 Of the 187 cases in the sample, these requests con- stituted thirty-two percent of all Of the requests which were made. Although this sample included both new and Old clients and only the current request was considered, the prominence of requests of an economic nature agrees with a study which was made with new clients at a New York agency. In this study it was found that "the problems most Often mentioned by the client in his Opening statement 24 were, in order of frequency: economic, family relationships, and social and environmental."20 Requests of an economic nature were followed closely by those of "family relationships and personal maladjustment." These requests were noted in 49 of the cases and made up approximately twenty-six percent of the sample. The third group of requests was "need for complementary services," which comprised 37 of the 187 cases and made 'up twenty percent of the total group. The remaining'requests ranged from four to seven percent of the sample with."child welfare," the lowest and "other,“ the highest. The requests seem to indicate that problems revolving around economic security are still presented as a.major reason for coming to the family agency. Although.non-economic prOblems bring the greatest number to the family agency, they do not constitute the largest single request. This would seem to confirm.the prevalent feeling that the establishment of public agencies, while assuming major responsibility for the meeting of maintenance needs, fills only part of the void necessary to safeguard economic security. As a result, the family agency is faced with a large number of requests within the economic area-o ZOBlenkner, margaret; Hunt, J. MbV.; and Kogan, Leonard S., "A Study of Interrelated Factors in the Initial Interview With.New Clients," Journal of Social Caseworg, XXXIII, Number 1, January, 1951, page 24. 25 That "family relationships and personal maladjustment" assumes a secondary position in the nature of requests would seem to indicate that the economic aspects of living are still considered the most ser- ious threat to sound family life in the community. This factor may be influenced to a large extent by the structure of the community. Lansing, primarily an industrial city, is subject to the cyclic changes in the economic structure which have an effect upon the nature of intake of the family agency. The unfavorable eco- nomic situation created by the national steel strike in the early part of 1952 would tend to bring more clients to the family agency with requests of an economic nature. This, however, raises questions as to the accessibility of resources which are available for the clients' use in questions of an economic nature and to the extent to which these are known. "Need for complementary services," ranking third, seems to indicate the need of such services in the community. The existence of these services in the family agency emphasizes the flexibility of the family agency's prOgram in meeting needs where no other community resources exist. In some agencies theflneed for complementary service" may over- shadow the casework treatment program. In cases where this is true the professional usefulness of the caseworker is drained off into ser- vices which may prOperly be provided under other community sanctions. 26 As shown in Table I, "complementary services" constituted twenty percent of the total requests in this sample and are exceeded by requests of family relationships and economic requests by six and twelve percent respectively. This suggests that, as far as the Lansing Family Service is concerned, complementary services do not overshadow the central casework treatment program. The relatively smaller pr0portion of requests regarding "child welfare" (four percent) and "physical and mental illness" (five percent) suggests that, on one hand, the community recognizes the responsibility for meeting these needs and provides for these services in other agencies. On the other hand, the stigma still attached to problems of mental illness may contribute to the presentation of these requests in a form which would be more acceptable to an individual in the initial interview if presented at all. The relatively small pr0portion (four percent) of problems of mental illness appearing in the total caseload for the entire year of 1952 would seem to confirm this inference. The small prOportion of requests for help with employment and housing (six percent) would seem to suggest that the community does pro- vide resources for meeting some of these needs. That the client requests help with housing and employment seems to indicate the need which the client feels has primacy at the time. The manner in which the client presents his problem depends to a large extent upon the primacy of the felt need and the kind of help that the client thinks he can receive. Although it is not the intent of this study to determine the primacy of the needs which the client presents, this would suggest an 27 area where further study would serve to indicate the extent to which the request is related to the problems which the client presents. The large proportion of requests for the group "other" sugb gests the extent of the varied nature of requests which are made of the family agency. In all probability they reflect the fact that the family agency is willing to keep its door open to the community regard- less of the request for at least an exploratory period. This raises a question as to the extent to which the community realizes the availability of a professional service as distinguished from informa- tion and direction. The nature of request which is made by the community points up the fact that the family agency, although a specialized professional agency, accepts responsibility for a variety of ills which threaten family life. The proportion of requests regarding the financial situ- ation, though disproportionate to the emphasis which is placed upon them, reflects the varied nature of family agencies in varied communi- ties. In all probability, the historical development of the agency in the community and the fluctuating economic conditions determine to a large extent the number of economic requests that are presented. An area of study which would seem to be of interest would be to compare the extent of economic requests of present intake to that in a period where there were no economic fluctuations throughout the year. This might indicate how many of the requests were of a depen- dent nature. 28 Table II indicates the number of requests according to the sources of information and referral. Clients having heard of the service from, or having been referred by "public and private agencies" constituted the largest number of clients requesting service in the sample. The "unknown" group was designated as such because the source was not known. The group was primarily self—referred and new to the agency 0 I TABLE II SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND REFERRAL LANSING FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY, 1952 'Sources Number Percent Public and Private agenCies ..................... 72 58.5 Private Individuals ............................. 60 32.0 Previous.Agency ................................. 42 22.0 Other Community Organizations ................... 3 2.0 ‘Unknown ......................................... .JUQ __j;d§ TOTAL ' 187 100.0 The sources of requests would seem to indicate that on the 'whole the agency was used as often by "private individuals" as it was by other "public and private agencies." The larger number of requests coming from "public and private agencies" suggests a larger number of clients came to the family agency after they had requested help from, or became involved with another 29 social agency; or that clients just happened to go to an agency with which they were most familiar in the hOpe that they would eventually find their way to the proper agency. although requests are considered on the basis of the sources of information and referral, the percentage coming from this source would seem to indicate that a greater prOportion of clients that fin- ally come to the agency are directed to it by other organized resources in the community. The smaller proportion directed by private individ- uals seems to suggest that family casework is not sufficiently recog- nized or they feel it is not a service which is applicable to all. Social casework has, in the past,demonstrated its applicability to all; however, the