Understanding sensory needs is fundamental for social work and care management practice. Social workers are trained to reflect on their own practice, make useful application of theory and promote anti-discriminatory practice at all times. This book will assist students in identifying people who have a sensory need and enable them to have the knowledge, skills and values to address this. Designed specifically to encourage students to build confidence and develop skills essential to best practice, this book is specifically structured to address all aspects of sensory need.

A social worker's guide to working with sensory-impaired people including children and adults.

This book is part of the highly successful Transforming Social Work Practice series and is written specifically to support students on the social work degree. Full of practical activities, case studies and opportunities for students to critically reflect and explore theory and practice. Current practice in the field was driven by the government White Paper ′Valuing People′ (2001) which declared some radical aims for services with people with learning difficulties. Now somewhat compromised by the local authority austerity measures, the goals set by ′Valuing People′ are nevertheless still important. This third edition seeks to confirm and strenghten social work values and priciples so that the progress and successes achieved by ′Valuing People′ can continue. Case studies and activities draw out the key points and reinforce learning. Summaries of contemporary research are included, as are suggestions for further reading and coverage of current government guidance and policy documents. By examining the varied roles that a social worker might undertake in this field, the authors portray a positive picture of working with people with learning difficulties: the achievements and satisfaction, and the learning and understanding that can be gained. They also highlight the need for recognition of vulnerability, the risk of isolation, oppression and abuse, and the continuing political struggle to establish and protect the rights of the individual. Paul Williams has over 40 years′ experience of working with people with learning difficulties. He was a founder member of the organisation ′Values into Action′ which campaigned for rights, inclusion and community-based services for people with learning difficulties. He is co-author of books on self-advocacy and anti-oppressive practice. A former lecturer in social work at the University of Reading, he is now retired. Michelle Evans has 14 years of practice in all areas of sensory need, including Deaf/deafness, visual impairment and Deafblindness. She has a first class honours degree in social work and has worked as a care manager in adult services and a social worker in children′s services. She has a particular interest in methods of social research which contribute to raising sensory awareness in social work/ care management. She lectures social work students at London South Bank University and develops and delivers sensory awareness training to practitioners and managers.

Part of the Transforming Social Work Practice series, this title intends to support students on the social work degree. It seeks to confirm and strengthen social work values and principles so that the progress and successes achieved by 'Valuing People' can continue.

?Packed full of case studies, activities and tools for real-life practice, this book covers all the main topics in the first year of both the undergraduate and postgraduate degree in social work. To provide a holistic view of the field, it used an integrated approach combining theory, policy and practice.

The Department of Health requires students on the social work degree to undertake at least 200 days in direct practice learning during their course. Practice learning often raises great anxieties for students, agencies and those who supervise and assess it. This book tackles those anxieties, explaining the ways the experience can deliver a unique learning opportunity for the student. It is ideal for students undertaking or about to undertake practice learning, student supervisors and practice assessors, as well as trainers and policymakers within social care agencies and healthcare professions where practice learning is also undertaken.

Social work educators can play an important part in ensuring that the promotion of health and well-being is firmly on the social work agenda for service users, as well as for students and educators. Nevertheless, this has not been a priority within social work education and presents a challenge which requires some re-thinking in terms of curriculum content, pedagogy, and how social workers respond to social problems. Furthermore, if the promotion of health and well-being is not considered a priority for social workers, this raises important questions about the role and relevance of social work in health, and thus poses challenges to social work education, both now and in the future. This book contains contributions from social work educators from Australia, America, Canada, New Zealand and the UK. They reflect on how best to prepare students to put health and well-being to the forefront of practice, drawing on research on quality of life, subjective well-being, student well-being, community participation and social connectedness, religion and spirituality, mindful practices, trauma and health inequalities. This book is an extended version of a special issue of Social Work Education.

Written in an accessible style, this title introduces theory as an explanatory framework that is drawn upon by the social worker to inform their decision-making process, by helping to 'make sense' of what is going on.

At a time of change and review within social care, it is relevant to explore traditional skills, knowledge and values associated with assessment in the context of changing practice. This book introduces and explores assessment in social work in a user-friendly, yet comprehensive way. The author reviews the interpersonal skills necessary for social work practice, applying them particularly to assessment and outlines fundamental knowledge and theoretical models that can inform assessment. The professional social work value base underpinning assessment and the power balance between assessor and the person being assessed are also taken into consideration.

Social work degree students must be confident in working with groups of service users as well as other professionals. This revised new edition introduces the practicalities of planning, establishing, facilitating and evaluating social work projects including small helping groups as well as interprofessional working parties. The authors examine the best methods in setting up a group, the issues around power and anti-oppressive practice, and how to cope with unexpected or unhelpful outcomes. This second edition features new material on sociodrama and psychodrama action methods, with more examples from actual groupwork projects.