TY - JOUR

T1 - Social Work Tomorrow: Towards a Critical Understanding of Computers in Social Work

AU - Sapey, Robert

PY - 1997

Y1 - 1997

N2 - This paper makes use of theoretical ideas that have been developed to understand the impact of new technology on organizations and applies them to its use within social work agencies. These developing theories employ ideas that are familiar to social workers—organization theory, decision making theory, and communication theory. The paper therefore argues that social workers are in a good position to understand and influence the use of computers within welfare agencies and do not need to be inhibited by a lack of technological knowledge. It is further argued that, unless social workers do become involved in the ways in which new technologies are used within organizations, they will fail to influence its impact upon their clients and may further fail to control the way in which computers affect the nature of social work itself in the future.

AB - This paper makes use of theoretical ideas that have been developed to understand the impact of new technology on organizations and applies them to its use within social work agencies. These developing theories employ ideas that are familiar to social workers—organization theory, decision making theory, and communication theory. The paper therefore argues that social workers are in a good position to understand and influence the use of computers within welfare agencies and do not need to be inhibited by a lack of technological knowledge. It is further argued that, unless social workers do become involved in the ways in which new technologies are used within organizations, they will fail to influence its impact upon their clients and may further fail to control the way in which computers affect the nature of social work itself in the future.

M3 - Journal article

VL - 27

SP - 803

EP - 814

JO - British Journal of Social Work

JF - British Journal of Social Work

SN - 0045-3102

IS - 6

ER -