Self Help in Health and Social Welfare : England and West Germany

INTRODUCTIONJudith UnellThis book grew out of a series of three meetings between English andGerman researchers who share a common interest in self help in healthcare and social welfare. The meetings were sponsored by the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society and took place atintervals during 1986.This was not the first encounter between researchers from the twocountries. One of the effects of the World Health Organization’s policy ofpromoting self help in health has been to create an international forum forresearchers and practitioners working in this field. Several members of ourgroup had already met through WHO European workshops andconferences, and felt that they had gained a great deal from theopportunity to compare and contrast the growth of self help and theproblems of engaging in research in this area.These contacts had perhaps been particularly important for Englishresearchers. Interest in self help as a vital aspect of health care has beenslow to develop in this country, both in academic circles and withingovernment. The scene has been altered during the last two years by amodest central government initiative which has made funding available toa series of local support projects and has sponsored a systematic evaluationof the effects of these projects. Research and innovative local practice bothhelped to stimulate this development but, in general, there have been fewopportunities for researchers to consult together about issues relating toself help or to participate in a wider policy debate.In contrast, large-scale research into self help in health has taken placeat several university centres in Germany, closely linked to the developmentof professional practice in working with and supporting self help groups.Researchers and practitioners have also worked in partnership to develop anational self helpworkers’ forum and a national self help clearing house,anticipating similar structures which have evolved much more recently inEngland.It... Originally published in 1989, Self Help in Health and Social Welfare looks at the current World Health Organization policy that encourages self-help in health. The book suggests that this can more readily be achieved by international collaboration and exchange of ideas. England and West Germany are both advanced industrialized societies with complex and highly developed health and social welfare systems and resilient voluntary sectors. Much can therefore be learnt by comparing their experiences. This book reports developments and initiatives from these two countries, covering issues such as the institutional context, evaluating self-help, public policy and support for self-help. Originally published in 1989, Self Help in Health and Social Welfare reports developments and initiatives from England and West Germany, covering issues such as the institutional context, evaluating self-help, public policy and support for self-help.