Assessing the work of a family centre: services offered and referrers' perceptions. A pilot study

A multiple family orientated service was offered by a social services family centre. In order to examine the service, the number and type of presenting problems, services offered and length of contact were recorded for forty-six families. Perceptions of the referring social workers were elicited at the beginning and end of contact with the service, and at follow-up. These suggested that the perceived risk of the referred cases and their complexity decreased. Questions raised by these preliminary findings are discussed.