Abstract
A multi-problem family is one of major issues in the practice of social work. Especially, it is a serious problem for practitioners who work as a social worker in public agencies in Japan. This paper discusses how to analyze various problems involved in such a family and presents a method for helping the family. A Multi-problem family is defined as the family that experiences a chronic crisis. The family fails to use the resources of the community to cope with the crisis effectively. This mainly results from the lack of appropriate interaction between the family and the resources of the community. The reorganization of community resources is required to make them available to the family for solving the chronic problems. The following procedures are necessary : 1. To establish a helping relationship on the basis of mutual trust between the family and a practitioner. 2. To reconstruct a social network of the family in the community. 3. To provide the family with services and supprots in a coordinating manner.
