Social Work Ideals and Practice Realities

Social work practice is becoming increasingly complex, with social workers struggling to hold onto their ideals and values in a pressurized and challenging social, political and organizational environment. This book provides an analytically coherent approach to the impact of macro, mezzo and micro factors upon practitioners' daily experiences. In taking a positive view of social work's potential and capacity to deliver beneficial services, detailed guidance is offered of cutting edge, creative practice with a variety of user groups.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; M.Lymbery & S.Butler PART I: PROGRESSIVE PRACTICE FOR TOUGH TIMES: SOCIAL WORK, POVERTY AND DIVISION IN THE 21st CENTURY; A.Davis & P.M.Garrett Responding to Crisis: The Changing Nature of Welfare Organisations; M.Lymbery Social Workers' Management of Organisational Change; M.Charles & S.Butler PART II: SOCIAL WORK IN THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR: MOVING FORWARD WHILE HOLDING ON; B.Badham & T.Eadie Community Connections and Creative Mental Health Practice; P.Bates & S.Butler Exploitation, Protection and Empowerment of People with Learning Disabilities; P.Cooke & R.Ellis Managerialism and Care Management Practice with Older People; M.Lymbery Creativity and Constraint in Child Welfare; M.Charles & J.Wilton Social Work with Young Offenders: Practising in a Context of Ambivalence; R.Canton & T.Eadie PART III: THE FUTURE OF SOCIAL WORK; O.Stevenson Bibliography.

About the Author :
MARK LYMBERY is Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Nottingham. He has 18 years experience of working in local authority social services departments. He has researched and published in the areas of care management, social work education and social work in primary health care. SANDRA BUTLER was Director of Social Work Studies in the Centre for Social Work, University of Nottingham until 2000. MARK LYMBERY is Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Nottingham. He has 18 years experience of working in local authority social services departments. He has researched and published in the areas of care management, social work education and social work in primary health care. SANDRA BUTLER was Director of Social Work Studies in the Centre for Social Work, University of Nottingham until 2000.

Review :
'...a book I would strongly recommend to students for purchase, because it puts much else of what they must learn into a useful context for understanding.' - Mark Baldwin, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, University of Bath '...it has been well edited and is a serious attempt to grapple with some very complex ethical, political and practical issues with which practitioners in the UK are currently faced.' - Paul Bywaters, Professor of Social Work, Coventry University '[A] useful guide to struggling practioners...' - Ethics and Social Welfare