The Social Worker's Function in Divorce Proceedings

Abstract

Judge Alexander's plan for a new method of handling at an earlier stage requests for divorce and perhaps also other family problems is now familiar to many groups. This proposed plan for court procedure contains a basic requirement, first, that a problem of marital discord should be carefully investigated by a committee of experts before a petition for divorce be permitted to come into the courts, and second, that the court then should be guided in its decision by the recommendations of this committee as to what is for the best interest of the family as a whole. From the point of view of a social worker and marriage counselor such an attempt appears to be a step well in advance of much current legal court practice. If such a therapeutic approach to the divorce problem should be put into effect, I believe that the social worker and marriage counselor should be a part of this approach and would be able to contribute to it. My assignment is to consider in some detail what this part might be-first in broad context, and second under the reality limitations of present conditions. Some understanding of the basic tenets of social work should help in orientation to the point of view that social work could contribute to the suggested therapeutic approach to divorce. Social work generically is concerned with human behavior and human relationships. Marriage and divorce are admittedly vital processes in human relationships. Casework, as one branch of social work, prepares its workers primarily to deal with the emotional growth and security of the individual. An emotionally mature and reasonably secure individual can usually handle the run-of-themill problems of marriage and family living. According to Dr. Hertha Kraus,1