Capturing the organization of emotions in child welfare decision-making

In this chapter, I use my own emotional experiences as a starting
point for arguing that both the emotional expressions and their
regulation in the field spring from an inherent paradox in human
service organizations, which, to a large extent, defines the practice of
social work in child welfare. The paradox is formed on one side by
the expected rationality of bureaucratic structures mediated by law and
their associated economic-rationalistic demands. It is formed on the
other side by a (sometimes frustratingly raging) humanistic care ethos
built on taking responsibility for the care of human beings and related
demands for flexibility, personal engagement and constant availability