• Summary: Health and social care services in the UK have been in the process of modernization since the New Labour government came to power in 1997. A central feature of modernization has been the scrutiny of existing work roles and the development and introduction of new work roles. The present article is concerned with the nature and content of work in one of these new roles, the Support, Time and Recovery worker which was introduced on the advice of service users, among others.
• Findings: Qualitative data revealed that both workers and service users valued the relationship they developed. The nature of that relationship and its important component qualities are analysed using Biestek's Principles of the Casework relationship and Weiss's categories of social relationship provision.
• Applications : The results provide further support to a growing literature that emphasizes the value service users place on the nature and quality of the relationship with the worker in social care practice, and the importance of positive human qualities in workers.
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