CONTAINING THE CONTAINER: AN EXPLORATION OF THE CONTAINING ROLE OF MANAGEMENT IN A SOCIAL WORK CONTEXT

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the role of containment within the relationship between a social work manager and the staff that she manages. The focus of the paper is on social work in a therapeutic setting. However, the impact of changes within the overall structure of the social work task is also explored. The need for containing management and containment of managers is seen as essential to provide responsive and effective work with service users.

Keywords:

• social work
• containment
• management
• relationship
• therapeutic services
• teams