Drawing on a range of theorists and competing perspectives, this substantially updated and expanded second edition places social theory at the heart of social work pedagogy. This book imaginatively explores ways in which practitioners and social work educators might develop more critical and radical ways of theorising and working. It is an invaluable resource for students and contains features, such as Reflection and Talk Boxes, to encourage classroom and workplace discussions. This new edition includes: · An extensive additional chapter on Foucault · Reworked and expanded versions of the chapters featured in the highly-praised first edition · Revised Reflection and Talk Boxes · New and updated references to stimulate further reading and research

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.

The second edition of this celebrated book by two of the world′s leading researchers in social work introduces readers to the main theories, theorists and perspectives that contribute to the debate on social work theory and social work methods. It brings together some outstanding international researchers in social work to challenge the reader to critically question how they think about social work. The new edition includes a focus on the psychosocial perspective, with three new chapters on: - Cognitive behavioural approaches - Attachment theory and psychoanalytic social work - Ecological approaches Each chapter allows the reader to relate the theories and methods discussed to their own personal experiences. This reader friendly book includes student questions, glossaries and recommended reading so that students and practitioners can reappraise and expand the knowledge they have learned. This book will be valuable for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in social work theory and research methods, social work interventions and perspectives as well as post qualifying students and researchers in social work.

An Introduction to Using Theory in Social Work Practice equips the reader to use fourteen key social work theories to guide each phase of the planned change process, from engagement through to evaluation. Suitable for a generalist approach, this book illustrates the value of applying theory to practice in a variety of social work roles, across diverse fields and facing assorted challenges. The first section provides a practical foundation for beginning to use theory in your social work practice. Section two looks at how you can translate and integrate fourteen theories commonly found in social work across each phase of the planned change process. The theories discussed are: behavioural, interpretive anthropology, psychodynamic, evolutionary biology, cognitive, symbolic interactionism, strengths, social constructionism exchange economics, role, ecological, critical, feminist, and systems theory. The final section addresses some key issues for real life social work practice, including common barriers to using theory in practice, the potential for multi-professional communication and theory-sharing, and developing an integrative theoretical model for your own personal practice. Linking to core competencies identified by the Council of Social Work Education, this text supports social work students and practitioners in developing vital skills, including critical thinking, applying theory and the effective use of the planned change process.

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.

How do sociologists explain the role and function of social work in society? How has sociological knowledge been used, adapted and misused by social workers? Originally published in 1991, The Sociology of Social Work includes chapters on sociological theory and social work, child protection, community care, probation interviews, family therapy, residential care, race, and knowledge and power.

Social work theory is full of ideas about how to practise. It guides you in what to do as well as how to approach and think about social work goals. In this clear and systematic book covering both general practice concepts and theoretical insights, best-selling author Malcolm Payne shows you how to work with the main theories and practice techniques and pinpoint their strengths and limitations. This book: • Explores the social work process from first to last contact; • Covers all the theories and methods you need to know as a practitioner; • Examines practice techniques and the ideas that inform them; • Includes helpful chapter-by-chapter infographics. This practical guide condenses the practical features of social work theory but doesn’t oversimplify them. Students and practitioners can confidently put their knowledge into action and see how everyday practice implements theoretical ideas. It will be an invaluable resource to students and newly qualified practitioners in social work and in related fields of practice, making connections with both classic and contemporary movements in social work.

An examination of social work in both theory and practice. The authors present several models relevant to different aspects of social work.

Tracing the origin of work with the ‘impotent poor’ under the Poor Laws, to social workers’ current responsibilities towards vulnerable people, this book introduces the reader to the way in which the identification of particular social problems at the end of the nineteenth century led to the emergence of a wide range of separate occupational groups and voluntary workers, which were sometimes, but increasingly, referred to as social workers. Using an extended single chronological historical narrative and analysis, which draws heavily on original archival sources and contemporary literature, it addresses the changes which took place as part of the welfare state and the identification of common roles and responsibilities by social workers, which led to the formation of the British Association of Social Workers in 1970. The expansion of roles and responsibilities in social services departments and voluntary societies is analysed, and their significance for the development of social work is evaluated. By highlighting the changes and continuities in these roles and responsibilities, this book will be of interest to all academics, students, and practitioners working within social work, who wish to know more about the origins of their discipline and the current state of the profession today.

This title was first published in 2003.The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a timely example of social policy reform in a socialist market economy. This important and topical edited collection brings together leading Chinese and Western experts to introduce and integrate policy issues of the PRC into the mainstream of cross-national social policy debate. Drawing upon comparativist expertise in relevant aspects of social policy, the book explores the ways in which the PRC has or has not taken lessons from abroad in key social policy respects and illustrates policy-relevant relations between Chinese and Western perspectives. The contributors identify those aspects of China’s recent social policy reforms that seem the most and least likely to appeal to Western societies. The collection therefore represents a substantial advance in two-way, East-West lesson learning in social and public policy.