Indirect Work: Social Work's Uncelebrated Strength

On the first centenary of professional social work education in the United States, there are several ways of celebrating social work's contribution to society. We can remember the profession's pioneers and praise the advances made in theory and research. Alternatively, we can examine everyday practice and what clients say they value about our efforts. This latter approach reveals the importance of indirect work, social work's "unsung hero" (Grinnell, 1973). Historically, indirect work has referred to the clinical social worker's intervention in clients' environments and collaboration with others in bureaucracies or clients' social networks in an attempt to alleviate clients' difficulties. Grinnell and Kyte (1975) succinctly defined the two components of indirect work. The first is concrete assistance, that is, the provision of practical or tangible help whereby the social worker uses "resources or opportunities that exist or are potentially available for the benefit of the client" (p. 314). The second is sociopsychological intervention, that is, "the modification of the attitude or behavior of significant others within the client's social . . . environment" (p. 314). "Direct work," in contrast, has referred to what is achieved "mind upon mind," to use Mary Richmond's phrase, through the relationship between client and social worker. Indirect and direct work frequently appear in tandem. For example, the social worker may collaborate with other professionals in the client's presence (Weissman, Epstein, & Savage, 1983). Why Examine Indirect Work? A historical analysis of indirect work traces the thinking of many social work theoreticians and therefore enriches our understanding of the profession. In addition, an examination of indirect work has conceptual, ethical, and practical relevance. I will argue that indirect work helps define conceptually social work's professional jurisdiction - that is, an area in which social workers exhibit both competence and expertise (Abbott, 1988). Ironically, the social work literature has neglected indirect work and, sadly, history reveals that some practitioners have also. This neglect is worrisome given that social work's ethical mandate is to meet people's "basic human needs" and to give special attention to "environmental forces" (NASW, 1996, p. 1). Contemporary social problems, for example, fragmented medical and welfare services, require indirect work. Social work has made some progress in classifying distinct components of indirect work, but there is a need to develop practice principles grounded in empirical research. In addressing these themes, this article traces the development of the idea of indirect work through the works of Flexner, Richmond, Reynolds, and Hollis and comments on social work's ambivalence toward this work. The article also discusses research on indirect work and clients' views of it. In addition, the article examines modern portrayals of indirect work that include the wider political arena and offers recommendations for practice and research. Indirect Work: History of an Idea History reveals recurring themes and ideas. A few years ago, Andrew Abbott, sociologist, stated that "probably the vast majority of what people with the title 'social worker' actually do in the United States is indeed connecting together services provided largely by other professions and other institutions" (Abbott, 1995, p. 559). How similar is this depiction to the one made by Abraham Flexner some 80 years earlier? Flexner In 1915 Flexner, a prominent developer of medical training programs, delivered a lecture entitled "Is Social Work a Profession?" at the annual session of the National Conference of Charities and Correction (a precursor of the National Conference of Social Work) (Flexner, 1915). The question addressed in Flexner's speech may have been premature, as social work was in an embryonic stage. Settlement houses had existed for more than 25 years (Addams, 1990), but professional social work training was relatively new. …