About the Book
What are the key ideas that underpin social work practice? This inspiring Reader brings together some of the most significant ideas which have informed social work practice over the last forty years. Exploring these fundamental ideas, the book includes commentaries that allow the reader to understand the texts on their own terms as well as to be aware of their relations to each other and to the wider social work context. An accessible introduction contextualises the reader, summarising the main themes and highlighting key issues. The book is then divided into three main sections, each presenting key texts which have contributed to the development of: the profession of social work social work knowledge and values social work skills and practice. There is no settled view or easy consensus about what social work is and should be, and the ideas reflected in this volume are themselves diverse and complex. The contributions are drawn from a wide range of perspectives: psychological, sociological, philosophical, educational and political, as well as perspectives which are grounded in the experiences of practitioners and those who use services.
This important resource is essential reading for all social work students.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Reading Social Work, Part 1: The Profession of Social Work 1. What is Professional Social Work? Malcolm Payne, 2. Making a Difference: Lessons from History, Viviene E. Cree and Steve Myers, 3. Issues in International Social Work, James Midgley, 4. Uncertainty. The Defining Characteristic of Social Work? Jan Fook, 5. Social Work, Risk and ‘the Blaming System’ Nigel Parton, 6. Scandal, Welfare and Public Policy, Ian Butler and Mark Drakeford, 7. Research as an Element in Social Work’s Ongoing Search for Identity, Walter Lorenz, 8. Social Work and the Changing Face of the Digital Divide, Jan Steyaert and Nick Gould, 9. Addressing Barriers to Participation, Gina Tyler, Part 2: Knowledge and Values for Social Work, 10. Attachment Theory and Social Relationships, David Howe, 11. On Death and Dying, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, 12. Parent, Adult and Child, Thomas A. Harris, 13. The Promise, C. Wright Mills, 14. Developing Anti-Discriminatory Practice, Neil Thompson, 15. Black Feminist Epistemology and Toward a Politics of Empowerment, Patricia Hill Collins, 16. Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire, 17. The Role of the Law in Welfare Reform, Suzy Braye and Michael Preston-Shoot, 18. What are Values? Chris Beckett and Andrew Maynard, 19. An Ethical Perspective on Social Work, Richard Hugman, 20. Expanding the Philosophical Base of Social Work, Mekada Graham, Part 3: Skills and Practice in Social Work, 21. The Communication Skills of Therapeutic Dialogue, Gerard Egan, 22. Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation, Brian Sheldon and Geraldine Macdonald, 23. The Ecological Systems Metaphor in Australasia, Keiran O’Donogue and Jane Maidment, 24. Bridging the Past and Present to the Future of Crisis Intervention and Crisis Management, Albert R. Roberts, 25. Introduction: Power in the People, Dennis Saleebey, 26. Disabled People and Self-Directed Support Schemes, Simon Prideaux, Alan Roulstone, Jennifer Harris and Colin Barnes, 27. Models for Interprofessional Collaboration, Audrey Leathard, 28. Theorising Feminist Social Work Practice, Lena Dominelli, 29. Contributions to a Radical Practice in Social Work, Roy Bailey and Mike Brake, 30. Post-Modernism, Barbara Fawcett
About the Author :
University of Edinburgh, UK
Review :
'This is a stimulating collection of readings by authoritative authors on topics of great relevance to contemporary social work.' - Robert Adams, University of Teesside, UK 'Viviene Cree is to be congratulated on compiling a compelling and first-rate collection of literature for this reader. From Freire, through Bailey and Brake to Fook, and from C. Wright Mills, through Egan to Saleeby, this is a varied collection from the world of social work and beyond. It is a balanced and comprehensive range of material covering many schools of thought on myriad areas of interest to students, academics and practising social workers. The quality of the chapters makes most of them timeless and readers will want to revisit and relearn over a long period of time.' - Mark Baldwin, University of Bath, UK 'Social work needs a book like this. It is stuffed with extracts from some of the best past and present writings on and for social work. Cree's enthusiasm is infectious and will have readers returning to half remembered texts and searching out the material that is new to them. It is a splendid book -- a celebration of social work reading.' - John Pinkerton, Queen's University Belfast, UK
