Once a problem has been identified, it should be eradicated. Be it child neglect, incest, battered wives, AIDS, violation of basic human rights, tooth decay or illiteracy, they should be wiped off the face of this earth. But what is self-evident at the micro level, is unsustainable at the macro level. Take the example of child neglect. Some children are placed into care.
Professional services screen prospective foster parents or adoption candidates.
The professional standards applied are severe, but justified. The professional logic applied is correct and inescapable at the micro level, the result at the macro level is absurd. This absurdity is only avoided through inefficiency, through the haphazard way problems get identified and brought to the attention of social services. The dilemma of inefficiency and absurdity is all pervasive. No small wonder that social services, so pervasive in all spheres of personal life and unlimited in scope, become the focus of public debate.