Frontline Welfare Work: Understanding Social Work's Role

Abstract

From a synthesis of empirical studies examining worker–client interactions under welfare reform, this article identifies frontline workers' responsibilities and the social work profession's role in ensuring qualified workers provide services. Frontline workers impact service delivery through three mechanisms: assessment, information provision, and interpretation of program regulations. However, few workers receive social work training and clients often receive limited, nonindividualized services. Specific recommendations for agency administrators reflect that administrators are critical to improving frontline delivery. They should recognize social work's role, give workers reasonable and achievable job expectations, and collaborate with educators, researchers, and policy makers to support a stipend-based training program for social work students. To buttress the need for such a program, research needs to examine how workers' education levels influence service quality and client outcomes.