Social Theory, Social Change and Social Work has two inter-related themes. First to account for and analyse current changes in social work and secondly, to assess how far recent developments in social theory can contribute to their interpretation. Representing the work of a range of academics all involved in research and teaching in relation to social work, it considers issues of central significance to everyone interested in the theory, policy, and practice of social work.

Trying to understand how the world looks through the eyes of individuals and groups and how it shapes the ways they think and act is something social workers do all the time. It is what social theorists do too. This book identifies and explains in a highly accessible manner the absolute value of social theory for social work. Drawing on the theoretical ideas and perspectives of a wide range of classical and modern social theorists, the book demonstrates the insights their work can bring to bear on a wide range of social work practice scenarios, issues and debates. Departing with the work of the classical theorists, the book covers a diverse range of theoretical traditions including phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, Norbert Elias, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, feminism and globalization theory. Putting to work ideas from these different perspectives, a range of social work scenarios, issues and debates are opened up and explored. The final chapter brings together the various theoretical strands, and critically considers the contribution they can make towards realizing core social work values in a rapidly globalizing world. Demonstrating exactly how and in what ways social theory can make important and enduring contributions to social work, Social Theory for Social Work is essentialial reading for social work students, practitioners and professionals alike.

`An excellent book that provides a good deal of valuable material to stimulate debate and to alert readers of the need to engage more critically with the wider world in which social work is located′ - Professor Keith Popple, Professor of Social Work London South Bank University This exciting book draws together the key contemporary theories, theorists and perspectives used in social work and explains how they are applied in practice and critiqued by social workers. It provides: - An outline of the contribution made by a key theorist, theory or perspective to social work - A selective bibliography of each thinker or approach - A glossary defining key traditions, with cross links to key theorists and perspectives - A timeline of key publications - Study questions at the end of each chapter. The book will be valuable for undergraduate, graduate students, post qualifying students and researchers in social work.

A book-length introduction to the work of Michel Foucault in social work. Each chapter of the text emphasizes different notions from Foucault's writings. Contributions include conceptual, philosophical, and methodological considerations, and discussions from various fields and levels of practice.

Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide, and formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the nineteenth century and feminist movement during the 20th century. In some countries, these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behavior, whereas in others they are ignored and suppressed. They differ from broader notions of human rights through claims of an inherent historical and traditional bias against the exercise of rights by women and girls, in favor of men and boys. Women's Rights and Social Change focuses attention on the way in which women from a number of traditions have been able to bring about change and the manner in which rights have either facilitated or inhibited women's participation in the process of change. In the face of injustice, people band together to work for change, and through their influence, what was once unthinkable becomes common. This book traces the history of the women's rights movement, including the key players, watershed moments, and legislative battles that have driven social change. This book should be of interest to all those interested in gender development and women empowerment and researches and students.

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.

Considers ways in which raising questions about gender can help researchers and practitioners better understand family relationships and issues in children's development Draws on current developments in thinking about gender relations Offers an overview of sociological, psychological and developmental perspectives on family relationships, child welfare outcomes and the practice/policy realities of professional interventions with families Chapters address range of service settings; including family support, child health, education, child protection, domestic violence, ‘looked after’ children and youth justice

Postmodern ideas have been vastly influential in the social sciences and beyond. However, their impact on the study of social policy has been minimal. Postmodernity and the Fragmentation of Welfare analyses the potential for a postmodern or cultural turn in welfare as it treats postmodernity as an evolving canon -from the seminal works of Baudrillard, Foucault and Lyotard, through to recent theories of the 'risk society'. Already disorientated by globalisation, new technologies and the years of new right ascendancy, welfare faces a significant challenge in the postmodern. It suggests that, rather than universality and state provision, the new social policy will be consumerised and fragmented -a welfare state of ambivalence. With contributions from authors coming from a variety of fields offering very different perspectives on postmodernity and welfare Postmodernity and the Fragmentation of Welfare also keeps social policy's intellectual inheritance in view. By exploring ways in which theorisations of postmodernity might improve understanding of welfare issues in the 1990s and assessing the relevance of theories of diversity and difference to mainstream and critical social policy traditions, this book will be and essential text for all students of social policy, social administration, social work and sociology.

Recording is regarded by most social workers as a necessary evil. The research from which this book arises found that recording is a highly complex and demanding aspect of professional practice. Why has such a critical activity received so little attention, despite the concerns over social work records identified with successive inquiries into tragic deaths? This highly topical book explores the often conflicting demands on social workers as they record information on the case files, and will stimulate a long overdue debate as to how to achieve more effective recording in social work.

Globally, social work faces increasingly complex cultural, political, economic, legal, organisational, technological and professional conditions. Critically reflecting on the subject, this book heightens critical consciousness among social work researchers, educators, practitioners and students about the structural dimensions of social problems and human suffering; it highlights the inter-relationship between agency and structure and discusses strategies to challenge and change both individual and societal consciousness. Offering the reader an opportunity to gain in-depth understanding of how critical reflection is possible in contemporary social work research, practice and education, it will be required reading for all social work scholars, students and professionals.