Social Casework Interview

The casework interview refers to the meeting of the

social worker and the client in a face-to-face

conversation. It is not a casual conversation but a

professional activity on the part of the social worker,

because the conversation is geared to a specific or

general purposes which may be obtaining or imparting

information, giving help or studying and assessing the

client’s situation.

Purpose of Social Casework Interview

Interviewing is the base on which the theory and the

practice of social casework has been built over the years.

It is the main medium of help without which the social

casework process will never be possible.

Interviewing is one of the important casework technique

which functions as a conveyor for the transmission of

help to the client. The purposes it serves may be one or

more of the following:

1) Obtaining and imparting information

Interviewing is a two way process. Just as

information is received by the social worker, so also

information is imparted to the client regarding

official procedures and other matters about himself/

herself, his/her role as a social worker, and about

the function of the agency.

Generally the client is a perfect stranger to the

agency on his/her first visit. He/she may or may

not bring a note of referral from a third person

indicating the reason for referral. The social worker

has to gather data regarding the problem. When a

client is not able to furnish the required

information, members of his/her family are

interviewed for the purpose.

2) Study and assessment of the client’s situation/

problems

Data gathered from and about the client are sorted

out and analysed, from which relevant aspects are

linked to form a verbal picture of the problem

situation with clear indications of cause-effect

relationships. In this process, the social worker

applies the knowledge of social sciences for

understanding the behaviour of the clients and

others in a problem situation. Ordinarily a few

interviews are necessary before an assessment of

the situation can be made.

3) Interview as a direct tool for giving help

The information that the social worker elicits and

the social assessment that she evolves serves as a

blue print based on which she decides suitable mode

of help. During the interview many other casework

skills and techniques are also used. Casework

interview is operative as long as the individual is a

client of the agency. The interview is a channel of

direct help even at the first contact between the

social worker and the client.