The professional social worker needs to understand, wide social issues, including the culture and cultural background of minority persons and groups in the United States. One mlnorlty group wlth whlch soclal work has not much contact, and thus has llttle knowledge about, ls the Chlnese. Regarding professional social work knowledge about minority groups, the Chinese could be considered a "silent minority."

One aspect of reality that professional social workers are experiencing in the course of performing social work is what the authors will refer to as natural service delivery systems. We use this particular term for clarity, yet there are questions that still remain. Are there, in fact, measurable phenomena that we can call natural service delivery systems? If these systems exist, what kind of services do they deliver or what types of services do they imply? If these services do exist and if we recognize them, what are the implications for professional social workers? How does our knowledge base allow for us to intervene in these systems with minimal danger of destroying or changing their character and still use them as resources? These questions arose after both authors had worked within communities where, because, of the nature and composition of the populations, it was apparent that natural services were being provided by one neighbor to another or by one friend to another. It was difficult to explain those services in relation to our own roles as social workers. Often it seemed as if there was in existence a procedure that we did not understand in terms of a worker-client relationship. It is from this history of interest and with these questions in mind that we began our research into the area of natural service delivery systems.

This is a study of Yellow Brick Road a paraprofessional volunteer training and group counseling program. The study was designed to help determine whether or not the program was meeting its own goals which are stated as: 1) to offer clients an experience which not only helps them to effect change in their lives, but to maintain those changes through healthy time-restructuring within a supportive environment; 2) to demonstrate that volunteers who are undergoing intensive training can provide quality counseling and other services; 3) to create a community environment supportive of healthy change. Toward evaluating these broadly stated goals, this study will specifically look at these factors: 1) client satisfaction, 2) internal program consistency, 3) activity group validity, that is, whether or not activity groups contribute to the change process.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Self-Help Information Service (SIS) and to obtain information necessary for the improvement of the service. The study also described the development and operation of SIS and assessed the use and effect of the service. The evaluation of SIS was based on initial global utilization data and the results of participant satisfaction surveys targeted at four distinct groups: (1) Self-Help Project staff, (2) Tri-County Information and Referral Service staff, (3) self-help groups, and (4) callers of the service (potential members of self-help groups). The Self-Help Project and Tri-County I & R staffs represent staff samples; the self-help groups and potential members represent consumer samples.

The purpose of this study was to explore and to evaluate the role of research in social work from the points of view of different populations affiliated with the Portland State University School of Social Work community. Students, faculty and field instructors, and agency directors were asked to express their subjective opinions in an effort to explore attitudes regarding the role of research in social work and to evaluate their estimate as to the value and position of the research component in the curriculum at Portland State University. The research program is intended to assist the student in becoming an effective professional person.