This document summarizes the key phases and qualities of an effective helping relationship between a social worker and client. It outlines three main phases: the beginning, where initial contact is made and needs are expressed; the middle, which is the working period where goals are implemented; and the ending, where the relationship is terminated once objectives are achieved. It also describes important relationship qualities like being purposeful by directing interactions towards agreed upon goals, exercising honest and sincere professional judgement based on facts, and facilitating the client's growing independence over the course of the relationship.

1. HELPING RELATIONSHIP

2. OTHER QUALITIES OF A GOOD
RELATIONSHIP

3.  refers to the
ability of the worker
to produce results
or changes or to
move the case
forward toward the
goal and objectives
initially agreed upon
by him and the
client
DYNAMIC

4. PURPOSEFUL
 the worker is said to be
purposeful when he sees
to it the relationship is
directed towards a goal
or specific objectives.
 It should be clear to
the client why he has to
do this and that

5. PURPOSEFUL
 Each task and each
activity has a
purpose that was
mutually agreed
upon and clear to
both parties involved
in the relationship

6. HONEST AND
SINCERE
 he should be a person of
integrity and probity
 he can be trusted
 he should be credible

7. HONEST AND
SINCERE
 he is dependable and reliable
 he recognizes the reality of
people and situations
 can be counted upon to be
legally and ethically accountable

8. Exercising Professional
Judgements
 a sure sign
of
competence
as a social
worker

9. Exercising Professional
Judgements
 any
professional
judgement
that the
worker makes
should be
based on
reality.

10. 1.Reality as the client perceives
2. Reality as the worker sees it
two sides of a problem or situation

11. Exercising Professional Judgements
 any decision he makes should be supported
by his professional knowledge as well as the
facts of the case.
 sometimes the facts may not be as clear-cut as
they should be. Failing to gather the exact details
the worker would still have to make some decision
based on what he has at hand.

12. PHASES OF THE HELPING
RELATIONSHIP

13. The
Beginning
 this phase is the testing period, when the
worker and the client “size up” each other.
 a phase which a worker starts establishing
a helping client-worker relationship
 a period of uncertainty and exploration

14. The
Beginning
Meaningful communication starts
Rules are defined
Needs are expressed, acknowledged and
responded to
Worker starts to motivate client to want
to use appropriate service

15. The Beginning
 generally this takes the form
of a home visit or an interview
in the ward, clinic, institution
where the client is temporarily
placed if circumstances
warranted it.
 starts with the first
contact between the
client and the
caseworker i.e the
person to whom his
case has been
allocated after the
intake interview.

16. The Beginning
 for those types of cases
for which the caseworker
is primarily responsible,
communication between
the worker and the
client starts with the
first home visit or the
first office interview as
the case maybe.
 the client reiterates his
need for help, explains or
elaborates further the
circumstances or details or
his present predicament
and is ready to use outside
help.

17. The Beginning
primary aim: to engage the client and his
will to do something about the problem in a
working relationship with one agency and its
spiritual means of helpfulness

18.  this is the “working period” during which the worker
and the client work on their individual tasks and
responsibilities which when completed will lead to the
attainment of the objectives/goals for which the
relationship or partnership has been established.
The Middle

19. The Middle
the sharing, thinking, feeling together
changes taking place, constant
adaptation and re-adaptation to
change
the implementation and goal
attainment period
during this period,

20. The Middle
 in the beginning
phase much of the
initiative comes from
the worker; in the
middle phase the
client should
gradually take over
the initiative for
solving the problem.

21. The
Ending
Phase
 this is the termination phase of the relationship
 if the goal has been achieved both worker and
client may be feeling a degree of satisfaction

22. The Ending Phase
 for many clients and
caseworkers there may never
be an ending phase or an
official termination of cases.

23.  The case maybe held pending because the client has failed
to get in touch again with the worker or the latter is too busy
to make a follow-up
 however, there are still cases which can be formally opened and
closed and the phases are well-defined. E.g. cases of child
placement for instance when a child has been satisfactorily
placed for adoption; probation cases for juvenile offenders;
cases involving marital problems

24. The Ending Phase
 whatever type of case is handled by the worker
there should be an ending phase even if the client
and the worker had agreed to work on another
problem.
 The ending should refer to the completion
of attainment of the objective or goal for
which the relationship was first established.

25. The Ending Phase
 The process of termination starts when the
worker is convinced that the client is now able to:
1. Utilize the total experience as a constructive
part of a lifetime of experiences
2. learns from it how to deal more effectively with
inevitable problems yet to come

26.  in an effective relationship the client
should feel in the end that he has had the
assistance of a competent helper who went
through the paces with him as he
surmounted the problems he encountered
at this point of his life.

27. Thank You For Listening