Social Work - Textbooks

Full of up-to-date case studies, practice examples and points for reflection, this exciting textbook explores theoretical frameworks for working with people with learning difficulties.

This topical book engages with a wide range of issues related to social work practice with people who have sexually offended. Its accessible style and use of practice based learning exercises will help readers to reflect on theory, practice and developing emotional resilience.

Drawing on the authors’ extensive experience as educators, this book puts forward a new model of social work practice that both supports and protects service users across the lifecourse.

This book addresses the gap in social work education by providing a combination of research evidence, policy frameworks and practical hints and tips for good social work practice for all those in children's and adults' social work and social care settings who are working with people who use alcohol or other drugs. 

This unique textbook is designed to empower social work students and professionals to practise safely, responsibly and confidently. Candid accounts provide in-depth case studies in how to use theory and research in situations of pressure and dilemma.

This wide-ranging book is one of the first texts to deal with adult social care as a distinct entity and is an up to date source on contemporary government policies, debates and research.

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

This new edition of a widely-respected textbook examines welfare policy and racism, alongside institutional racism and community cohesion within a broad policy framework.

This textbook provides a straightforward introduction to the concept of agency and how it can usefully inform the practice of social welfare. Demonstrating a model of achievable change, it traces the origins of agency and explores the contributions of key thinkers from sociological and social policy perspectives.

This substantially revised edition of a highly topical text applies a critical approach to themes introduced in the first edition including economic development, heath and housing, and draws upon theory from Marx and Bourdieu to offer a clearer understanding of community in capitalist society.

This engaging and accessible text, now in its third edition, provides a comprehensive introduction to health and social care. This new edition has been updated to cover recent developments, including the integrated care agenda, potential regional devolution and austerity.

One of the few resources available to provide an overview of human need as a key concept in the social sciences, this accessible and engaging second edition models existing practical and theoretical approaches to human need while also proposing a radical alternative.