Social Work - Textbooks

This book considers how normative assumptions about the meanings, practices and relationships of care are embedded in our everyday lives. It explores ways in which these shape our sense of self and the nature of our relations. It also examines how social policy and welfare practices construct relations and give or deny them meaning and validity.

Improving partnership working between health and social care agencies has recently gained increased impetus as a result of New Labour's commitment to joined-up government. This book provides a detailed but accessible introduction to policy and practice at the interface between health and social care.

Iin the aftermath of traumatic events, there is a need for improved understanding of the needs of individuals and communitie. This new edition consolidates the core elements of good practice, while bringing theory and practice issues fully up-to-date.

What is Professional Social Work? is a now classic analysis of social work as a discourse between three aspects of practice: social order, therapeutic and transformational perspectives. It enables social workers to analyse and value the role of social work in present-day multiprofessional social care.

The book is a much-needed revised and updated edition of Elders and the law (PEPAR Publications, 1993). It describes the legal framework for working with older people following the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 and the modernising agenda in health and social care.

Working in group care (ie residential and day services) is a challenging and complex task, demanding great skill, patience, knowledge and understanding. This book explains how best practice can be achieved through the focused and engaged work of individuals and teams who are well supported and managed. 

Current community care policies and increasing numbers of older people needing assistance mean that all social workers must be up-to-date in their knowledge, skills and attitudes towards people with dementia and their carers. This book, written by experienced social workers, provides guidance on best practice in a readable and jargon-free style.

This book provides busy practitioners with a ready reference for the day-to-day problems relating to sex and sexuality that they are likely to face in key areas of engagement, such as promoting sexual health, preventing sexual violence, working with those subjected to sexual abuse, and engaging with the complexities of contemporary sexualities.

This book explores the sociological basis of contemporary society and shows how social workers experience tensions and contradictions in practice.

This book builds upon popular texts addressing anti-discriminatory frameworks but focuses specifically upon black perspectives in social work. It addresses new developments and charts the impact of social changes and new literature shaping social work theory and practice with black and minority individuals, families and communities.

This book provides a challenging approach to understanding community practice.It offers a much-needed theoretical perspective, setting out an analysis of power and empowerment and exploring new ways of understanding active citizenship.

This book brings together perspectives from social science, health-care and pastoral theology, looking at the way death is handled in contemporary society and the sensitive ethical and practical dilemmas facing nurses, social workers, doctors and chaplains.