The Travails of Domestic Visiting: Manchester, 1830–70

Abstract

This article seeks to re-examine mid nineteenth century`home missionary' activity or domestic visiting. It focuses on Manchester, a typical urban case in that it could boast an almost bewildering array of associations which sponsored such visiting, whose supporters were ever willing to laud the impact of their activities. It argues, however, that closer examination suggests that the feverish activity and public vindications masked deep flaws. The social geography of the city prevented them from either covering the whole community or from visiting comprehensively within those areas which were occupied. The visits were asked to bear an ideological load which far outstripped their capacity. While missionaries could help sustain a vibrant and significant minority religious sub-culture in the`slums', they were scarcely the agents of social discipline suggested by recent commentators.

Social Work Home Visits to Children and Families in the UK: A Foucauldian Perspective

“…Charity of this kind was not an idle activity; on the contrary, it was believed that ‘doing good’ was necessary to secure a place in heaven ( Prochaska, 1980 ). While the extent of the influence of the church has been disputed ( Webb, 2007 ), it is the case that, by the eighteenth and into the nineteenth centuries, emerging in the context of industrialisation, urbanisation and concerns about the administration of the poor relief system, the home visit had become a common practice/activity associated with volunteers working under the auspices of visiting societies that were either linked directly to churches, or had religious affiliations ( Young and Ashton, 1956 ; Rack, 1973 ; Hewitt, 1998 ; Cree and Myers, 2008 ; Burnham, 2012 ). Underpinned by moral and spiritual principles as well as notions of benevolence and citizenship, the discourses associated with the home visit—the regulation of family functioning, the reform of individuals and the reinstatement the principle of self-help—were reflective of the influence of classical liberalism.…”

“…This, in turn, shaped what Foucault refers to as ‘discursive practices’ ( Foucault, 1980 , p. 93), namely the values and practices in and through which institutions and individuals operate. Rack (1973) and Hewitt (1998) have illustrated, for example, that the practice of the home visit relied on the presumption of ‘a right of access’, as opposed to the existence of a legally mandated and systematic framework to guide practice. However, while the focus of the visit was essentially the same—that is, to assess claims for help and connect families with local sources of support in order to build self-reliance and good character—there was great variety in individual practice.…”