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AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF
THE CLIENTELE OF THE FAMILY SERVICE
AGENCY OF LANSING

By
Robert Elton Cook

A PROJECT REPORT

Smeitted to the Department of Social
Service, Michigan State College,
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
of
MASTER OF ARTS

1950

THESIS

PREFACE

The Study presented in the following pages was made as one of the
requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in the Social Service Depart-
ment of Michigan State College. It was felt that any such project should
be undertaken in conjunction with the field work because the student in
that setting is in the best position to determine the need for research
and in what areas. As a result, this study was undertaken within the set-
ting of the Falily'Service Agency of Lansing. The author, doing his field
'work in this agency, therefore had access to records dating back into the
1920's, and felt that with such a large supply of cases on hand, some use
could be made of this information. 'With this as a background, and with
many helpful suggestions from staff members of both the college and the
agency, the bases for this study were conceived.

Before going into the details of the project itself, the author
feels that it is in order at this point to recognize the various indiv-
iduals whO'were helpful in the construction and conducting of this study.
First and foremost there was Dr. E. B. Harper, Head of the Social Service
Department of Michigan State College,whose guidance throughout this under-
taking enabled the author to overcome many of the obstacles encountered.
Thanks are also due to Dr. J. T. Landis, for his many helpful suggestions
in the methods used in conducting this survey. 'Within the agency setting,
Mrs. G. Spaulding, Executive-Secretary of Family Service of Lansing,
proved exceedingly cooperative in providing information and suggestions
in regard to materials within the agency which she readily supplied. Mrs.
E. Baughner and Miss D. Sweeny of the clerical staff of the Family Service
Agency'contributed much in the way of time and effort, in making records

and cases available. Finally, Mr. E. A. Perretz, of the Michigan State

College Staff, provided recommendationS'which proved very valuable in the
interpretation of the findings. In the final analysis, without the
cooperation of these many willing and helpful individuals, it is doubtful

as to how much could have been accomplished in this endeavor.

I.

II.

III.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

A.
B.
C.

D.

'5"

0-1.

Purpose of Study
Assumptions
Hypotheses
Previous'WOrk in Area

Agency'Setting

METHODOLOGY

A.

C.

Selection of Factors

1. Statistical Data

2. Socio-Economic Status

3. Community and Agency Outlook
Sampling Procedures

Analysis of Data

1. Statistical Comparisons
2. Interpretations and Implications

ANALYSIS OF DATA

A.

B.

C.

Statistical Data

1. Age of Head of Family

2. Marital Status

3. Number in Family

h. Religion

SocioéEconomic Status

1. Occupation

2. Income

3. Residence

Community'and Agency Outlook
1. Source of Referral

2. Problem as ‘Presented'byrthétClient
3. Disposition

CONCLUSIONS

A.
B.
C.

D.

Statistical Data
Socio-Economic Status
Community and Agency Outlook

Overall Conclusions

I. INTRODUCTION

Purpose 2f Study
Before the idea for this study was planned, the author had read and

heard from various sources that the clientele of private social agencies,
particularly in the family field, had been changing in its makeup. By
this was meant the fact that many people from the higher socio-economic
levels'were taking advantage of the services offered by the social agen-
cies.1 As one indication of this they pointed to the number of private
social agencies who were instituting fee-charging programs. This they
felt was as it should be, due to the fact that over the past few decades,
the emphasis in function of the various agencies has changed from mater-
ial help to the more intangible psychological help.

It appeared that it might be valuable to test this apparent trend
by an actual study of changes in the makeup of clientele in the caseload
of successive periods. As a result, this project was conceived with its
original purpose being "to measure the change in the makeup of the
clientele of the Family Service Agency of Lansing in relation to a
change in emphasis of function."

As the study progressed, however, another factor appeared which
seemed to play an important role, and that was recording. As a result
it was decided that as a byaproduct there should also be a consideration
of the effects of the change in emphasis of function upon the material

recorded.

 

1Margaret Blenkner, "Obstacles to Evaluative Research in Casework:
Part I", Journal 2f Social Casework, February, 1950, Vol. 21, No. 2,
pp. Sh‘éoo

In the final analysis, then, the purpose of this exploratory study
was twofold: involving an investigation of the changes both in clientele
and in recording, as revealed in the changes in function, or at least in
emphasis, over the last two decades.

Assumptions

 

One of the basic assumptions of this study is that there has been a
shift in emphasis of function from the granting of material aid to the
offering of psychological assistance in various ways. This assumption
can be shown by the following quotations from the "Articles of Associa-
tion" of what is now known as Family Service Agency of Lansing, Michigan.

In the "Articles of Association" as first adOpted in January, 1918,
the purpose of the agency is stated as follows:

"To promote the general welfare of the poor by social and
sanitary reform by industrial instruction, and by the inculca-
tion 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 activities to these-
ends."

In an amendment to these articles, adopted in February, 19b9, some
of the purposes are thusly stated:

"1. To offer casework services to families and individuals.

2. To make such adjustments and.arrange for such care as will
serve the welfare of the individual and the best interests

of society where normal family life is not possible.

3. To accept responsibility for the initiation and develop-

ment of programs to educate for family living and to

prevent individual and family breakdown.

h. To help other groups through counsel and service in con-
structive approaches to problems of individuals and

families for which they may feel some responsibility.

5. To encourage and promote education and training for social
‘work.

6. To encourage and participate in the promotion of community
programs for social betterment."

Another indication of this belief being held in casework agencies
today is illustrated by the trend toward the use of fee—charging in the
agencies. The reason for this trend is indicated by Frank J. Hertel, in
his contribution to the 19h9.SQQial.Fbrk Yearbeek, in which he states:2

"As the private family agency has extended its services to

a broad cross section of the community, many individuals and

families in the middle and even upper income brackets have

availed themselves of its help."

As can be seen in this quotation and as is indicated in numerous
journal articles3 there is a decided trend toward the use of charging fees
in private casework agencies which has, as one basis, the belief that the
socio-economic level of the clientele is raising.

Another assumption which is made whenever a study of this type is
conducted is that, after all precautions are taken to select a random.sam~
ple, the sample will actually be representative. It is also assumed that
the results from this sample will be relatively reliable and valid. The
actual validity of an exploratory study of this type can be tested only
when a followhup study is made using larger samples and involving much
more thorough analysis.h

hypotheses

 

The major hypotheses which have been the basis for this study are as
follows:
1. The change in emphasis in the function of the Family Service
Agency from the offering of material aid primarily, to the giving

of psychological counsel and guidance, has affected a change in

 

2Frank J. Hertel, "Family Social Work", SOCIAL WORK YEARBOOK 1919, Russell
Sage Foundation, New York. p. 19h.

3CeliaIBrody, "Fee Charging -.A Dynamic in the Casework Process", Journal
2f Social Casework, Vol. 30, No. 2, Feburary, l9h9. p. 65.

hJ. P. Guilford, PSYCHORETRIC METHODS, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, l936,p.lh.

the makeup of the clientele resulting in a wider representation
from all socio-economic levels, over the last two decades.

2.2 There has been a change in recording techniques and emphases
over the last two decades toward including a wider body of
knowledge pertaining to the client in accordance with changes
in casework techniques over the same period.

It must be remembered at this point, that the purpOSe of this study
was merely to explore the data for the purpose of discovering trends
tending to support or disprove the above hypotheses, and not to actually
prove or disprove them.

Previous‘flgrknig;grga

Apart from theoretical statements there appears to be little in the
literature of a factual nature bearing directly on the changing role of
the Family Service Agency. Some studies are being done in closely'rela-
ted areas, however. One such study was conducted by A. A. Heckman and
Allan Stone, which was published in the Survey'MidéMOnthly, in Octdber,
19147.5 Another report on this study was given in the Journal g£_§2£ial_
Casework, December, l9h8, by A. A. Heckman, in.which one of the purposes
wasstated as follows:

"To establish an adequate and readily usable method for
gathering certain descriptive economic and sociological data
concerning clients of the agency and relate these facts to
other kinds of available data concerning the agency's clients,
the community, and the general pOpulation of the community,"
Unfortunately, however, the author of the above article was not at

that time prepared to give a report on the results of that aspect of the

survey.

 

5A. A. Heckman and Allan Stone, "Forging New Tools", Survey NidgMonthl ,
Octdber, l9h7, pp. 267-270.

6A. A. Heckman, "Measuring the Effectiveness of Agency Services", JOurnal
2f Social Casework, December, l9h8, p. 39h. "‘

-h--

Agency Setting

The Associated Charities, as Family Service was originally named,
was first mentioned in the State Journal, December 2, 1909, in which a
report was given of the meeting to be held by the mayor of Lansing to
elect a Board of Directors to form the Associated Charities. The objec-
tive of this organization as stated at that time, was to "prevent people
from becoming objects of charity." The meeting was attended by various
representatives of church and charity organizations in Lansing. This
first organization lacked many of the things necessary to make an agency
run smoothly and as a result the Board of Directors, after a number of
atmmpts to obtain advice, finally asked Mr. Frances McLean of the Ameri-
can Association for Organizing Family Social Work to come to Lansing to
' help in organizing the agency properly. Following his plan for reorgan-
ization the agency obtained Miss Adeline A. Buffington to act as general
secretary who took over in April, 1912, and after a period of having to
overcome prejudices created by former administrations, she began to
develop the agency to a point of importance in the community organization.
By 1915 the agency had in addition to the general secretary, an additional
caseworker, a visiting housekeeper, and two stenographers. In 1918 the
name was changed to the Social Service Bureau and was established in a
building donated by R. E. Olds, which in 1923 was shared with MCAS. The
building was established as a temporary home for women and children.
During 1928 this center was taken over by the city and the Social Service
Bureau moved to other quarters. At this time Miss Ruth Bowen was acting
as general secretary and she initiated a training program in cooperation

with Michigan State College.

This history is necessarily brief due to the limitations of space and
also due to the fact that a fire in 1920 destroyed many of the agency
records so that information in regard to case loads and types is somewhat
limited.

On February 23, l9h9 the name of this agency was changed to Family
Service Agency of Lansing. At present the staff consists of Mrs. Gladys
Spaulding, General Secretary, Miss Ruth Kaarlela, Acting Casework Super-
visor, three full time caseworkers, one office manager, one secretary-
receptionist, three student caseworkers, and one part-time stenographer.
The offices are located in the Hollister Building in Lansing. The
general purpose of the agency as stated in the recent annual report is:

"Based on its focal concern with family life, the primary
purpose is to assist individual members of any family in

deve10ping the Opportunity and the capacity for satisfying and

useful lives."

The actual objectives of the agency are more specifically stated in

the constitutional amendments.

II. METHODOLOGY

Selection g_f_ Factors

In selecting the data to be used in this project, it was necessary
to consider a variety of factors. The major point given attention was
the type of information that would be available in the case records.
Another factor which must be remembered in any study of this type is
objectivity of data.7 It is well known that the more objective the data
are, that you are using, the more valid will be your conclusions. It
goes without saying that the purpose of your study is a major factor in
determining the factors to be studied. Taking all of these factors into
consideration, the following groups of factors were selected. They have
been divided into three major groupings in terms of their relation to
each other and their relevance to the final objective of the study.

Statistical Data - The first grouping includes those factors which
are purely statistical in nature, such as age, marital status, number in
family and religion. The group was selected primarily because it was
felt that these are essential factors in the makeup of the clientele of
the agency. In addition to this, these factors are easily measureable
and as a result can be considered relatively valid and reliable.

Socio-Economic Status -- This grouping includes three factors which
go to make up the socio-economic level of the individual. These are:
occupation, income and residence. These were included because it was felt

that they were essential to determining any change in clientele, and it

 

7Frederick L. Whitney, THE ELEMENTS or RESEARCH, Prentice Hall, Inc.,
New York, 191:2, p. 310.

has been postulated that it is in this area that there has been a change
over the past two decades. There was considerable question as to the
availability of this information in the records, but it was felt that, due
to the importance of this data, it was essential to attempt to obtain
something in this area.

Community and Agency Outlook - This category includes those factors
within the agency activity which reflect the community and agency outlook.
This includes: source of referral, which would reflect the community's
conception of the agency‘s function; problem as presented by the client,
which would reflect the clientele's conception of the agency function; and
disposition of the case, which would reflect the agency's conception of
their own function.

Sampling Procedures -

 

In selecting a sample, many obstacles presented themselves. It was
first decided that, in order to obtain a picture of the trends, there should
be samples taken with time intervals brought into consideration. The final
procedure consisted of selecting a sample from three periods: pre-depres-
sion; post-depression and present day. The samples were taken at teneyear
intervals in order to standardize the time element. The years 1928, 1938
and 19h8 were selected because it was felt that the samples obtained would
be less likely to be adversely affected by unusual economic conditions.

At first there was an attempt to make the size of the sample propor-
tionate to the total caseload for the year from.which the sample was
selected. However, in examining the case counts for the years selected,
there did not seem to be agreement in the methods used in the annual case
counts so that this method was discarded. It was felt that a standard

sample from each year would serve the purpose as well, under the

 

‘llll ll. l ‘Ill.‘cl| [II If Illl. I II

circumstances. The size of the sample was limited also by the fact that
this was intended to be only an exploratory study. As a result, the
sampling procedure finally selected was as follows: a standard sample of
thirty-four cases from each of the three years selected, selected on a
basis of every tenth case in the files, beginning with the first of each
year and selected on a basis of case number. If the tenth case was mis-
sing from the files, the one next in line was taken. It was necessary to
alter this process in the 1938 sample because there seemed to be a lack
of cases in the files for that year. In that case the sample may not be
as valid, which.might account for the differences among the results. That
sample was selected on the basis of every fifth case. The samples for
1928 and l9h8 were relatively similar, in terms of selection.
Analygis‘gffgata

The methods to be used in the analysis of the data will be grouped
into three divisions. Each of the factors measured will be analyzed in
respect to these three divisions.

Statistical Comparisons -Each of the factors measured will be trans-
formed into a chart, which in the majority of the cases, will be of the
bar graph type. Each factorvwill be illustrated by three such charts,
one for each sample of the three years selected. By this method it will
be possible to show the changes over the period covered in each of the
factors measured. 'Where it is possible there will also be some type of
average considered such as the median or mode and the range covered in
each sample.

Implications of Data - Accompanying each of the statistical analyses
there will be an attempt to indicate what these findings imply. The

implications to be considered will be those which refer to our basic

hypothesis, that is, that the change in emphasis of function has brought
about a change in the makeup of the clientele. Also any implications in
regard to possible changes in recording techniques will be noted.
Interpretations - Along with the consideration of the implications
of the findings there will be a brief attempt to interpret the causative
factors that may be behind these changes in addition to the changing
emphasis in function. Included in this will be an attempt to explain
some of the discrepancies which are found in the tables and cannot be

explained by the original hypothesis.

- 10 -

III. ANALYSIS OF DATA

Statistical Data

 

Age of Head of Family - In this classification, there is a need to
interpret what is meant by "Head of Family." By this was meant, the per-
son who appears to be acting in the sociological classification as head
of the family in our traditionally patriarchal society. If the family
‘was Operating as a unit with all of the members present, the father was
considered the head. 'Whereas, if the father was out of the home, the
mother was considered the head. In cases of single persons, they were,
for the purposes of this study, considered to be the head, although soc-
iologically speaking they would not be considered a family unit.

One interesting trend shown in this factor, was the frequency of
cases in‘which the age of the head of the family was unknown. In 1928
there were 15 such cases or almost 50%, while in 1938 there were only'ten,
and in l9h8 there were 5 such cases or approximately'lh%. Throughout the
samples there appears to be a preponderance of cases in the age group of
21-h0, although this appears to be more pronounced in the samples from
l9h8'and 1938. The cases in the 1928 are somewhat more evenly distributed.

The trend toward a preponderance of cases in the 21-h0 age bracket
could be indicative of many things. It could support the fact that over
the period studied there was a trend toward segregation of problems
according to age groups, with special agencies for children and for the
aged becoming more strongly entrenched in our system of social agencies.

In terms of recording, the trend toward gaining information pertain-
ing to age is very interesting. It could very possibly indicate the case-
‘worker's realization of the importance of this factor in the person's

psychological deveIOpment.

- 11 -

No. of

Cases:

NO. or

Cases

No. of
Cases

Age of Head of Family

e_JMfiHL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Age

1% CODE

.___.U 1. Unknown
2. Birth to 20

.r____.

. . 3. 21 to 30

h. 31 to ho

'—_I—__- 50 All to 50

: L 6. 5:1 to so

 

 

 

 

 

 

Age 7. 61 &.above

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I. _ “rt ”Mu! . I .

Marital Status -Before attempting to analyze the results shown in
the tables there should first be an explanation of the terminology being
used. "Single" is rather self-explanatory indicating that the client is
not nor has been married. In a few cases it is possible that some clients
who had been married'but were not living in such a state at the time of
application, might have given their status as being single, but the num-
ber of cases where this might have happened were at a minimum. "Married"
included those cases where there was a married couple who were living
together at the time of application. "Broken" includes those cases where
the family was broken up for any one of a number of reasons, including
divorce, separation, death of a spouse, desertion, or as in a few cases
where the spouse was institutionalized.

As one looks at the tables there appears to be a couple of trends
over the period studied which seem to stand out. For example, the num—
ber of married couples couples coming into the agency seems to be on an
upward trend. As is shown, the number of married couples increased from
16 or slightly under half of the sample in 1928, to 18 in 1938, and again
to 19 in 19h8'which'would be approximately'65% of the sample. Also the
tables show that there appeared to be a steady decrease in.the number of
broken cases. The significant thing about these trends is that they
seem to be related, that is, as the number of married cases increases the
number of broken cases decreases, or an inverse ratio. Throughout these
tables there will prObably be some question as to the significance of
these apparently small changes, but when it is remembered that this is
an exploratory'study only attempting to show trends, and that the sam-

ples are relatively small, the changes appear significant.

- 13 -

Nb. of
Cases-

Manital Status

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928 1938 l9h8
-19- -19- —_1
.13.. aa-
.17m .17.
-16d> ~16-
-15- > —15.
.m. D .m-
___... ‘13! t .13-
.124 .12.
.11.. .11.
.10” ____1. -10-
._9., ::Z-
—— zi- -
.54 .5.
._fit “-h-
._3m ..3.
..2J __2-
L1..- _.1.
I. 2 3 l 2' 3 1 2 3
Marital Status
CODE
1. Single
2. Married
3. Broken

No. of
Cases

The trends shown in the tables tend to imply that there has been a
change in the clientele over the last two decades, and this change could
be attributed to the change in emphasis of agency function. This change
could be interpreted to mean that more couples who are having marital
problems are coming to the agency before their families are broken, in an
effort to prevent the breakdown. If this is true, it would be a reflec-
tion of the change in emphasis of function, in that the clientele are
aware of the fact that the agency is now concerned with problems of an
emotional nature rather than prOblems of material needs.

Number in Family - As far as the terminology used with these tables
is concerned, there is little need for interpretation. The number in the
family as used in this table included the mother, father, and all of the
children, as taken from the face sheet. In each of the samples, the num-
ber of cases with six, seven, eight, nine and ten in the family, was
small enough to warrant lumping them together into one classification of
6 to 10.

In glancing over these tables there appears to have been a general
over-all change in the makeup of the clientele as far as the number in
the family is concerned. In the case of justeaemarried couplegwith no
children, there appears to be a definite trend toward an increase in the
number of these cases. In the 1928 sample there were only 3 such cases,
or slightly less than 10%, while in 1938 the number had doubled with 6
cases, or approximately 20%, and in 19h8 there were 10 such cases repre-
senting about 30% of the sample. In addition to this there appears to be
a decrease in the number of cases with five or more in the family. On
the other hand there appears to be an increase in the cases of four in

the family, or the husband and wife and two children. 0n the whole, the

- 15 -

nvt.

Number in Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928
10-1
9-
a-
2:
No. of .
Cases 5-
1,-
3-
2-
1-
l 2 3 h. 5 6-9
No. in family
1938
lab
9%
84L
. 7?
N00 Of 4"
Cases 5%
1,.
3? r ‘
2m
1%
E a 3‘ h 5 6—8
. No. in family
15MB
1
9
8
No. of I
Cases 5
3 _
2 ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 2 3 h 5:6-10
No. in family

-16-

trend indicated is toward smaller family units availing themselves to the
services of the agency.

The results as shown above give implications which could be attri-
buted to two trends. The first is the trend in our society, which studies
have shown, toward smaller family units in the pOpulation as a whole.8
This also could indicate that there are more people from the higher socio-
economic brackets making use of the services of the Family Service Agency
of Lansing because it is a well-known fact among sociologists that peo-
ple from the higher socio-economic levels tend to have smaller families
in general.9 'Which of these factors would account for the change in the
family makeup in this study would be hard to say, but it is likely that
both of the factors, that is, declining family size in the population as
a whole, and, more people from higher socio-economic levels, have played
important roles in bringing about this change in clientele makeup.

Religion - The classification system used in this category is rela-
tively simple. "Mixed" is the only grouping which requires elucidation,
and that includes all cases in which the husband and wife of a married
couple are of different religious faiths. The "Unknown" classification
includes not only those cases in which the religious preference was not
noted but also a very few cases in which the client stated his religious

preference as being "none."

 

8E.‘W. Burgess and H. J. Locke, THE FAMILY, American Book Company, New
Ybrk, 19h5, p. h950

9W. L. Warner and P. S. Lunt, THE STATUS SYSTEM OF A MODERN COIEUNITY,
Yale University Press, New Haven, l9h2, p. 88.

- 17 -

3‘3“

 

 

 

Religion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1228 2 1238
- L
-19-N
-18w
.17m
-16d
.15..
.111. __
-————. -13+
.12.
.10.
..9-1
-84
_.7_
-—6-
.._5..
—h.a
-3-
P—-1' "2'
{I -1- l }____l
2 3 II S 1 2 3 I“ 1,
Religion Religion
12L8
19—
IB-
1?-
16- 1.
15-
1,4" 2’0
13-
12- 3.
11. .
No. oflO- .———J. ’4.
Cases 9*
8- S .
7-
6-
5-
1,...
3.
2-
1- I l
2 s u

Religion

-1R_

No. of
Cases

CODE
Protestant
Catholic
Mixed
Jewish

Unknown

illlllll

J3.

As can be seen immediately by looking at the table, the cases in
which the religious preference is not given seems to be predominant. The
one exception is in the 1928 sample in which the Protestant grouping seems
to have a slight edge. The over-all trends however seem to indicate a
tendency for more cases in which the religious preference is not given.
The "Mixed" grouping is the only grouping, among those in which a relig-
ious preference was shown, that seemed to be increasing. All of the
other religious groupings showed a decrease, with both "Catholic" and
"Jewish" fading completely out of the picture by l9h8.

The only implication which can be drawn from the data shown in the
charts is that there appears to be a trend toward an increase in the num-
ber of cases in which the religious preference is not given. This may
indicate a slight change in the attitude of the agency in terms of the
importance of obtaining this information, which may be a reflection of
the less important role religion is playing in our society today in com—
parison to twenty years ago. This does not seem to be important as far
as the change in emphasis of function is concerned, but it does seem to
have implications in terms of changing recording techniques.
SggigeEconomic‘gtatus

Occupation - Because of the tremendous number of occupations in our
society, there is a need for some explanation of the classification sys-
tem used in this category. "Unknown" includes all of those cases in which
the occupation of the individual was not given. This also included those
cases in which the individual was unemployed at the time and gave no par-
ticular occupation. "Unskilled" includes all cases in which the worker
was employed in a job which required little or no training. In with this

category were placed all cases in which the individual was classified as

- 19 -

Occupation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928 1938
21- .
-20—
P19-
-18-
. -17-
[' p16-
~15-
.1h.
13-
E12-
l———-t ”'11- NO. or
~10- Cases
L—9-
b—7-
-6-
.r_5_
.u___. L-h-
3-
l- .u___]
"i a 33 NT 1"]? 3, E
Occupation Occupation
iota,
17- W
16-
15- [—-
1h.
13- CODE
12..
No. ofll- . . 1. Unknown
Cases 10- 1
9- 2. Unskilled
8.
7" 3. Skilled
5.
i" ‘+—-—1 h. Businessa&.Professional
3.. .
2. I
1
1 2" 3 1
Occupation

_ , \wg
- . ‘
H

a factory worker with no stipulation as to his particular job. "Skilled"
covered all occupations given which appeared to require some training
before the individual.would be qualified to take such a job. Included in
this grouping were such things as painters, plasterers, carpenters, etc.
"Business and Professional" includes all those persons who were prOprie-
tors of a business or had some professional training.

The predominant factor which appears in this sampling is the fact
that the information pertaining to the client's occupation is not given.
There does appear to be a trend toward an increase in representation from
the "Skilled" and "Business and Professional" categories. There also
seems to be an overall decrease in the representation from the "Unskilled"
brackets. This does not necessarily indicate that the number of clients
from these classifications has changed but merely that the proportion of
each has been altered.

The trend toward a greater proportion of "Skilled" and "Business and
Professional" indicates a possibility that more people from.the higher
socio-economic levels are coming into the agency, which would tend to sup-
port the original hypothesis. In terms of recording, however, there still
appears reluctance on the part of the recorder to obtain the information
pertaining to occupation.

Income - In attempting to determine the income in the cases the
breakdown of incomes used seemed to be most satisfactory, and as such is
fairly self-explanatory. Included in this was all income which appeared
to be representative Of the client's average income, such as earnings,
pensions, and other such forms of remuneration. The "Unknown" category
included all cases in which there was no mention made of the income of the

client within the first few interviews. No attempt was made to probe

_ 21 -

Income

Income

No. of Cases

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928 1938 19h8
#Unknown 20 22 22
Unemployed 12 h I.

l 0-$50 pr. mo. 1 3
$50-$00 " )4 2
$101-$150 " 1 1
$151-$200 " 1 3
$201g§250 fl 1
3251mm 1

 

._22..

 

further into the cases for this information because this was intended to
be primarily a study of intake, and it would have proved too extensive an
undertaking to attempt to do so.

As can be seen, the largest categories in each sample are the ones
entitled "Unknown" and Unemployed", although there does appear to have
been a slight increase in this information over the period studied. In
the cases where this information was given, there appears to be a trend
toward a wider representation from higher income brackets. It must be
remembered, however, that the value of the dollar in terms of real income
has changed over the period studied.

Any interpretation of this information will have to be guarded for
two reasons. One being the fact that the cases in which this informa—
tion was not available are by.far the predominant ones, so as to distort
any results found. Another is, as was stated above, the changing value
of the dollar. An attempt would have been made to pro-rate this but it
was felt that the results were so unproductive that this would have been
of little value.

In terms of recording, there does seem to be some indications here
Of a trend toward more frequent gaining of this information. This could
be interpreted to mean that the caseworker places more importance on
this information than she did formerly, in terms of diagnosis.

Residence -»In attempting to analyze the samples taken of residence,
it was first thought that this could be used in relation with income, and
occupation, combining the three factors to serve as an indicator of socio-
economic status for each case. As can be seen however, the unavailability
of information in the other“two categories in this grouping made this

procedure untenable. It was then decided to divide the city into

-23..

 
            
      

    

r v...

A”

D be»:
M. e e z p»

  

  

 

..
.

,
.

 

  

a— J

quadrants and attempt to measure the distribution of clientele and if
there had been any shifts in this distribution. In the accompanying
illustration, each house represents a case.

In the illustration there appears to be a number of interesting
shifts. The northeast quadrant of the city has remained rather steady in
its contribution to the clientele of the agency over the period included
in this study; On the other hand the southeast quadrant has shown a
steady decrease in its contributions with the number of cases being out
almost in half over the period studied, or a drop from almost 25% to 15%.
The northwest quadrant however, fluctuated from being the second largest
contributor in 1928, to the smallest in 1938, back to the largest contri-
butor in l9h8. The southwest quadrant fluctuated also from the smallest
contributor in 1928, to the largest in 1938, to the second largest in l9h8.

Any attempt to interpret the findings of this part of the study
would necessarily include an analysis of the socio-economic ratings of
the various sections of the city, which for our purposes would almost con-
stitute another study in itself. It is known, however, that Lansing is a '
very complex community in regard to socio-economic makeup, and this is
somewhat borne out by the findings which tend to show no section of the a

city as being outstandingly predominant at any one time.

Communitynagd Agency Outlook

 

Source of Referral - The terminology used with this factor requires
some eXplanation in order to be clearer. "Self-Referral" included all of
those cases in which the client came into the agency directly and with no
direction from another individual or agency. It is possible that these
persons were referred'but failed to mention it nor was it brought out dur-

ing the person's contacts, but these cases are probably at a minimum.

-25..

N00 or
Cases

Source of Referral

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1928 1938
-16-
~151
-131
.12J _____..
.11.
-1oJ
—9-J- No. of
-81 Cases
—-64
“5d 4d
_h..
..3 .____.
-2
fi—lfi
2 3 h S 2 3 h 5; '
Source Source
l9h8
16“
15+
1hn
13+ CODE
12+
No. of 11+ . l. Self-referral
Cases lOuy- —-_“ fl
9h 2. Friends, relatives
8d & neighbors
74b
6% 3, Professional persons
5‘L
h"i h. Other agency
3% ~—-——v
20 5. Employer
11b
’1 2 3
Source

- 26 -

 

\fi: 3 .5 5. l.
n

:4? x .. .r‘...’

1-4.-. , is...

.. .ITA

 

"Friends, Relatives and Neighbors" includes all of those cases in which
the person was referred to the agency by another interested individual
who was acquainted with the agency. "Professional Persons" includes all
referrals by other professional people, which in all instances in this
study, were either a doctor or an attorney. "Other Agency" includes refer-
rals from other welfare agencies, public and private, and other such
agencies concerned with the'well-being of the individual, such as the
school, church or police department. "Employer" includes all cases which
‘were referred by the employer who was concerned with his employees' well
being.

There seem.to be a couple of trends shown by these tables as far as
source of referral is concerned. The one definite trend seems to be in
the direction of a decrease in the number of referrals by other agencies.
The referrals by friends, relatives and neighbors appears to be increas-
ing. The over-all trend as shown by the tables, seems to indicate a
tendency for referral sources to be spread over a wider selection of per-
sons and agencies.

This trend toward a wider selection of referral resources implies
the possibility that the public, in general, is becoming better acquainted
with the Family Service Agency of Lansing and its functions. To carry
this line of reasoning further, one could say that more persons being
acquainted with the agency increases the potential clientele, not only in
numbers, but also in wider socio-economic representation.

Problems-—as Presented by the Client - The terminology used with this
factor requires more explanation due to the fact that many types of prob-
lems are overlapping and require differentiation. "Material Need"

includes all cases in which the client presented his problem as being one

-27..

N6. of

Cases

No. of

Cases

123-

13-
12..
11.
10-

9..

No. of 8-
Cases. 7-

5..
h.
3..
2..
1..

Problems - As Presmt'aiby the Client

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

am
that _
l .L
1 2 3 14 S 6 7
Problems
1238 CODE
.__.._.,. 1. Material Need
2'. Financial Planning
‘ 'F—i 3. Medical Aid
L___{ 1;. Family
Interrelationships
' 5. Child Problems
4—4 F11 6. Personality Problems
1 2 3 74 5 5 i 7 f 7. Incidental Services
Problems
‘ 12L8
F—j'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 ix. .,1P.w..1. .«N‘N 1.;

 

 

of need for financial or material help in the form of clothing, fuel,
housing, etc. "Financial Planning" includes all of those cases in which
the client requested help in planning finances and budgeting. "Medical
Aid" covers all cases in which the client requests aid in planning to meet
problems in which medical difficulties predominate. "Family Interrela-
tionships" includes all problems of adjustment within the family, with
marital problems being the most frequently presented. "Child PrOblems"
lincludes cases in which there is a complaint in regard to a child's
behavior either from the parent, or from.an interested individual who
feels that the child is being mistreated. "Personality Problems" covers
those individuals who come into the agency with some type of an emotional
problem, or an occasional case of suspected mental illness. "Incidental
Services" includes all cases which request specific services, such as:
Legal Aid, Traveler's Aid, or Homemaker Service.

An inspection shows that over the period studied there does not appear
to have been a startling change in the problems that the clients bring in
to the agency. Material Need still appears to be the predominant need
presented by the clients. There appears to have been a dip in the amount
of material need cases presented in 1938, the reasons for which will be
considered later. There appears to have been a slight increase in prob-
lems of family interrelationships, personality problems, and financial
planning. On the other hand there seems to have been a decrease in prob-
lems with children and problems of a medical nature. Although the change
is not startling there does appear to be a trend toward an emphasis on
problems of a psychological nature.

The trend toward an emphasis on problems of a psychological.nature

appears to support our original hypothesis, and also seems to indicate

-29..

that the public is beginning to accept the agency as a counseling agency
rather than a charitable institution. Of course it must be noted at this
point that it is well known that clients frequently do not present to the
intake worker their actual problem. There is usually one of two reasons
for this, one being that the client is just "feeling his way around" in
order to determine the amount of permissiveness that prevails; or some-
times the clients are not aware of their real problem'which may show
itself in an entirely different area from the one in which the problem
actually lay. An example of this is given in Florence Hollis' book,
WOMEN IN MARITAL CONFLICT, in which she points out that frequently when
the husband and wife disagree on how to spend their income, this is
actually an outlet for underlying sexual difficulties.10
The 1938 sample seems to present some interesting discrepancies.
For one thing, there is the decrease in the number of cases applying for
material need. There may be a number of explanations for this, either in
terms of the role played by this agency in relation to other agencies in
the community during this period, or the fact that many depression agen-
cies were still active at thiS'time; or it may possibly be a sampling
error due to the change in sampling procedure used at this time. Another
area to be questioned is the large increase in the number of child prob-
lems. Many of these were cases in which an interested individual reported
a case of child neglect, but one possible explanation is that there could

have been some misinterpretation on the part of the public of the agency's

function.

 

10Florence Hollis, worm IN MARITAL CONFLICT, Family Service Association
of America, l9h9, pp. lBh-lhh.

- 3o -

use! xiifirulqlij .1. eddihwhifiiu!

DiSposition — The division of cases in this classification requires
clarification due to the fact that many cases are referred to other agen—
cies after the worker has had one interview, many are referred after more
than one interview, some are referred to another agency but are also kept
active in this agency, and some are exclusively active with this agency..
After some deliberation it was decided to divide the cases on the baSis
of diSposition after one interview. If the intake worker refers the case
to another agency after one interview, it is considered a "referred" case,
but if the client has more than one interview while the case is active it
is considered "kept."

As can be seen by looking at the diagrams on the next page, there has
been no change in the percentage of cases referred after one interview,
within the samples which were selected for 1928 and l9h8. The only change
which occured over the period tested, was in the sample selected for 1938,
‘which showed no referrals whatsoever. In each of the other two samples
there were 9 cases of the 3h which were referred or about 26.h%.

The implication which seems to be involved in the fact that there was
no change in the two samples is possibly that there was no change in the
clientele makeup. However, upon closer examination of the situation it
might be concluded that along with the agency's change in emphasis of func-
tion there was a change in the public's conception of the agency and there-
fore no change in the number of referrals was necessary. As far as the
1938 sample is concerned there appears to be two possible explanations.
One is that there might have been a change in the filing system, to one
in which only cases that were "kept" were filed. The other possibility
is that there might have been an impairment of the relationship between

the various agencies in the community. There is reason to believe that

-31..

DasF’oSITIoN

 

 

I938

 

 

there is some truth to this latter statement, but it would be closer to
the truth to say that both of these factors played a role in this situa-
tion, prObably'with more importance placed on the first, because even

'with impaired agency relationships there would still be some referrals.

-33...

IV. CONCLUSIONS

Before attempting to draw any conclusions from the foregoing data it
is well to recall the purpose of the study and any limitations thereby
imposed. The purpose, as stated at the outset, was to perform an explora-
tory study of the changes in clientele and recording, in terms of the
change in emphasis of function of the agency over the last two decades.

It must be remembered that as an exploratory study, the conclusions drawn
are not intended as final, but only as indicators of trends and of possible
V areas for further, more extensive research. The hypotheses set forth were
as follows:

1. The change in emphasis of function in the Family Service

Agency from offering material aid to the offering of psycho-
logical help, has affected a change in the clientele toward
a wider representation from all socio-economic levels, over
the last two decades.

2. There has been a change in recording over the last two

decades toward gaining a wider body of knowledge pertaining
to the client.

In attempting to draw any conclusions from.the foregoing data, in
terms of the above stated purpose and hypotheses, there will first be a
breakdown of the data in terms of the three groupings which have been used
in the study, viz. Statistical Data, Socio-Economic Status, and Community
and Agency Outlook. Following this there will be an attempt to synthesize
the above conclusions-into one well—integrated summary.

Statistical Data A

The two factorS'which seem to have importance for our study are
Marital Status and Number in Family. The tendency for more married
couples and ::;:n"Broken" families to come into the agency indicate a

trend toward wider'representation from.various social classes among the

clientele. Even more important is the trend toward smaller family units

- 3h -

coming to the agency, because it indicates a representation from the
higher socio-economic levels who reputedly'have smaller families. The
other two factors Religion and Age of Head of Family, seem to be of lit-
tle value in proving or disproving our first hypothesis. Therefore, in
terms of changes in clientele, there is an indication of a need for more
research in the areas of Marital Status and Number in Family.

In terms of recording the factors, Religion and Age of Head of Fam-
ily, indicate a change in importance of information gained. There appears
to be less emphasis placed on gaining information pertaining to religious
preference, while Age of Head of Family has gained more importance. This
indicates a need for research in the area of recording.

SocioéEconomic Status

 

In terms of the first hypothesis, little in the way of conclusions
can be drawn from the results obtained. In terms of occupations, there
is some support for the belief that the clientele have changed in socio-
economic make-up, but due to the lack of information, little support from
the whole grouping is given to that belief.

In terms of recording, the lack of information in this grouping
indicates a definite need for more research in this area, with an emphasis
on what attempts are made to obtain this information, and why or why
aren't they made.

Community and Agency Outlook

 

In terms of a changing clientele, the factors, Source of Referral and
Prdblem as Presented by the Client, are the most productive in terms of
conclusions which can be drawn. There appears to be a trend toward more
peOple coming to the agency for help with problems of a psychological

nature. In addition to this there seems to be a wider selection of referral

f 35 -

resources and the number of referrals appear to be more evenly distributed
among the resources. These both represent changes in clientele makeup
'which could be attributed to a change in emphasis of function over the
period studied. This is true in the case of source of referral because
a more even distribution of referral resources indicates a wider public
acquaintanceship with the function of the agency.

In terms of recording there does not seem to be much that can be
said about this area. There does not appear to have been much of a change
in the recording of this information over the period studied, with all of
these factors being readily available in each of the samples.

Overall Conclusions

 

In the final analysis, there is some indication, in the results
‘which have been presented, that the belief that the change of emphasis in
function of the Family Service Agency of Lansing over the last two decades
has resulted in a change in clientele makeup, is substantiated. There'Z
have been indicated changes in such factors as size of family, marital
status, occupation, and problem as presented by the client. Some of
these changes, have likewise, been attributed partially if not'wholly, to
the change in emphasis of function. On the basis of the above results it
is recommended that further research be conducted in the area of changing
clientele, particularly in the areas mentioned above.

In terms of the secondary hypothesis, that is, that the recording
techniques have changed over the period studied, there are also some indi-
cations in the results. Due to the fact that this was only a secondary
purpose of the study, not as much attention was given to this factor,
which resulted in a very brief, cursory examination of recording techniques

as they applied to our original purpose. With the factors, Religion and

-35..

Age of Head of Family, there has been a change in the gaining of this
information which might be indicative of a change in the role this infor-
mation has played in casework techniques. 'With the factors pertaining to
socio-economic status there was a definite lacking of information in all
of the samples with a trend toward more information in the later sample
but still with the preponderance of cases not giving this data. On this
basis of these findings it is recommended that more research be done in
the area of recording, with emphasis on what changes in the obtaining of
information have occurred, what is the relation of these changes to cur-

rent casework practices, and how can recording be made more effective.

-37..

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Reference Books
Hertel, Frank J., "Family Social Work", SOCIAL'WORK YEARBOOK, Russell

Sage Foundation, New York, 19L9.

Books

 

Burgess, E. W. and Locke, H. J., THE FAMILY, American Book Company, New

Guilford, J. P., PSYCHOMETRIC METHODS, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York,
1936.

Hollis, Florence,'WOMEN IN MARITAL CONFLICT, Family Service Association
of America, 19h9.

Warner, W. L. and Lunt, P. 5., THE STATUS SYSTEM OF A MODERN COMMUNITY,
Yale University Press, New Haven, 19b2.

'Whitney, Frederick L, THE ELEMENTS OF RESEARCH, Prentice-Hall Inc., New
York, l9h2.

Periodicals

 

Blenkner, Margaret, "Obstacles to Evaluative Research: Part I", JOURNAL
OF SOCIAL CASEWORK, February, 1950, Vol. 31, No. 2.

Blenkner, Margaret, "Obstacles to Evaluative Research: Part II", JOURNAL
OF SOCIAL CASEWORK, March, l9SO,'Vol. 31, No. 3.

Boggs, Marjorie, "The Administrative and Casework Aspects of Fee Charging",
JOURNAL OF _S______OCIAL CASENORK, October, 1919, Vol. 30, No. 8.

Brody, Celia, "Fee-Charging-A Dynamic in the Casework Process", JOURNAL
OF SOCIAL CASEWORK, February, l9h9, Vol. 30, No. 2.

Heckman, A. A. and Stone, Allan, "Forging New Tools", SURVEY'MIDMONTHLY,
October, 19h7.

 

Heckman, A. A., "Measuring the Effectiveness of Agency Services", JOURNAL
‘QE SOCIAL CASEWORK, December, 19h8, Vol. 29, No. 10.

Mudd, E. H. and Froscher, H. B., "Effects on Casework of Obtaining Research",
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL CASEWORK, Januany, 1950, Vol. 31, No. 1.

   

niCHIceN STnTE UNIV.ILIBRQRIES
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