First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This ground-breaking book provides invaluable insight into the diverse nature of social work practice within the British Isles. The contributors explore key differences in social work's role and character, and the legal systems and organisational structures in which it operates in the different regions.

Annotation First published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book offers insights into the development of social welfare policies by exploring the interconnections between policies and practice throughout history. It challenges tacitly accepted arguments that favour particular approaches to welfare, such as conditionality and eligibility. It provides examples of enduring social assumptions which influence the way we perform social welfare, such as the equivocal position of women in social welfare and the unintended consequences of reforms such as Universal Credit. By identifying continuities in welfare policy, practice and thought, it offers the potential for the development of new thinking, policy making and practice.

This major thematic and historical overview provides a clear guide to key welfare practices and developments in the public, private, voluntary and informal welfare sectors in twentieth-century Britain, outlining the dominant ideas about welfare in the period in question. As such, it offers an effective bridge between historical and contemporary concerns, drawing out some of the more rarely articulated premises of courses in the history of social policy and illuminating the social, political and economic dimensions of its subject.

Comparison of social administration and social service programmes in 27 countries - covers institutional frameworks, social planning functions, financing, social research, the training of social workers, international cooperation, etc. Bibliography, diagram, references and statistical tables.

The devolution of social care policy has led to key differences emerging between the UK’s four care systems. This book presents research on the perspectives of social care policy makers within the UK’s four care systems, concluding that when given equal capacity to reform, the systems in each nation may take radically different shapes.

This lively and engaging book is an adaptation of the bestselling introductory social work book available in Australia. This edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect wider changes that have characterized social work training and practice in recent years. It offers readers an essential grounding in the knowledge, values, and skills needed for successful completion of their degree.

This book serves as an introductory reader for understanding a professional competencies framework for social work through a new approach. It not only discusses what professional competencies are and why they are significant, but it also shows how to develop a professional competencies approach, measure and research competencies, and learn how to use them to empower professional identity and career development. There has been growing interest to define the social work profession within a professional competencies framework. Professional competencies are considered in their complexity as a triangle of knowledge, skills and values. They are not solely a tool for education and practice, but they are also important for professional socialization and identity in social work. A professional competencies approach has been used to define standards and expectations for social workers-practitioners; it is an evaluation tool for formal education and lifelong learning programs, provides guidance for field practice and placements for social work students, and could be a frame for distinguishing levels of professional expertise. The volume provides an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of a professional competencies approach in social work with 10 chapters organized in four sections: Part I: Understanding a Professional Competencies Approach, including Criticisms of the Competency-Based Education Approach Part II: Major Areas of Professional Competencies, including Leadership and Professional Socialisation Part III: Measuring Professional Competencies and Education Outcomes, including How to Conceptualise, Operationalise and Measure Professional Competencies in Social Work Part IV: Professional Competencies and Professional Development, including A Model of Holistic Competence in Social Work and the unique Professional Capabilities Framework Social Work in the Frame of a Professional Competencies Approach is essential reading for social work instructors, academics and national professional associations interested in developing or reviewing their professional competencies framework. It is an invaluable resource for experts in statutory bodies that set up a legislative framework of social work practice or work in the accreditation of social work education programs. The book is useful for social work students interested in understanding the theoretical background of social work, as well as for field practitioners who wish to use professional competencies for their self-reflection, self-evaluation and professional identity.