CONTENTS

Editorial

Jane Sherwin

From the President

Mike Duggan

Reclaiming Family Business

Margaret Ward is well known for her strong leadership as a Queensland parent. She recently commenced work at the Office of the Public Advocate. In this article, she defines the clear boundaries around what she calls 'family business', and recommends some strategies that enable families to exert their natural authority.

Contesting Technocratic Managerialism

Frank Stilwell is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. He is known for the social perspective that he brings to the study of economics, and in this article he unveils the severe shortcomings of technocratic managerialism with its language of science and economics.

Becoming Powerless in the Client Role

Deborah Reidy is the director of Cornerstone in Massachusetts. In this article she points out that the role of 'client', which is often considered to be benign, actually has powerful negative effects for people who are already vulnerable.

Some Broad Strategies To Shield People From Invasive Bureaucracy

Recognising that services themselves struggle with Technocratic Managerialism, Michael Kendrick offers some broad strategies to organisations and workers who can become effective buffers against impersonal bureaucratic processes that intrude into the lives of the people they support. Michael is a regular contributor to CRUcial Times.

Discovering Unrecognised Gifts

Andrew Bligh lives in the Townsville community. When working with people, he likes to seek out the passion that is within each person for a particular interest, assisting the person to find an identity for themselves. His article shows what is possible when a worker, and the person who is supported, have a relationship, not just a set of rules.