In this lively introduction suitable for students at any level, Lena Dominelli explores the extraordinary scope and importance of social work. Using engaging examples from contemporary social work practice, she clearly answers questions about what social work is, how social workers work in a variety of settings and the clients they are likely to deal with. She tackles head on the dilemmas social workers face in their day-to-day work and the challenges of working with limited resources and marginalized social groups such as the elderly, the homeless and abused children.
This work will affirm the valuable contribution social workers can make to human wellbeing and demonstrate how the promise and potential of social work can be, and is, realized.

The subject of human nature has recently returned to the centre of welfare debates in Britain, with prime ministers, politicians and academics addressing the effects of social policy on individual character and morality. This book offers a serious examination of ideas about human nature and motivation in twentieth- century social policy, focusing specifically on social democratic, neo-liberal and mutualist ideas in mainstream welfare, and on Marxist and feminist alternatives. It pays close attention to the important reappraisal of welfare and human needs currently underway in each of these movements as they respond to the changes affecting global capitalism at the close of the twentieth century. The book attends to the renewed interest in human nature in Marxism and feminist thought - especially about mutual welfare, the struggle for recognition, and human need - and considers their contribution to revitalizing welfare thought and practice in the new century. Each chapter provides a systematic account of the human nature discourses of each intellectual movement, noting central ideas and tensions in each discourse and their influence on social policy.

New York's Newsboys is a lively historical account of Charles Loring Brace's founding and development of the Children's Aid Society to combat a newly emerging social problem, youth homelessness, during the nineteenth century. Poor children slept on the docks, pilfered, and peddled cheap wares to survive, activities which frequently landed them in prison-like juvenile asylums. Brace offered a radical alternative, the Newsboys' Lodging House. From there he launched a network of additional programs, each respecting his clients' free will, contrasting with the policing interventions favored by other reformers. Over four decades Brace built a comprehensive child welfare agency which sought to alleviate suffering, prevent delinquency, and divert children from a life of poverty. Using primary documents and analysis of over 700 original CAS case records, New York's Newsboys offers a new way to look at the foundational roots of social work and child welfare in the United States. In this book, Karen Staller argues that the significance of this chapter in history to the profession, the city of New York, and the country has been under appreciated.

This book is a vital new resource in the sociological study of family life in the 21st century. The chapters in this volume explore a diverse range of family and intimate life experiences, such as personal choices about reproduction and how life choices and family forms are mediated by factors including geographical location, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, income and government policy. Through a series of evidence-based chapters, leading sociologists explore a diverse range of family and intimate life experiences and the contexts within which they are lived and experienced. Each chapter delves into the lives and experiences of people whose choices in some way seem to disrupt normative and traditional ideas of family, parenting and childhood. Family patterns and experiences of living apart together, troubled families, children in care, culture, coupledom, same-sex families and digital technology are covered and examined innovatively through theoretical engagement. Chapters also incorporate innovative technologies and their use within family spaces that shape the nature of human relationships and interactions. These negotiations within the family are globally contextualised within the political and ideological frameworks of societies at any given moment in time. The work recognises the sensitivity of family and personal lives and incorporates the increasing need of the impact of emotionality that forms part of knowledge production. Additionally, innovative methods are showcased in chapters on researching the family through socially just methods, researcher emotionality and visual data. By bringing together thought-provoking research findings and innovative methodological and theoretical approaches, this collection of essays raises and articulates relevant, timely and future thinking for its readers. This book will therefore be indispensable for students and researchers as well as professionals and policymakers interested in understanding family life in the 21st century.

This book provides an important, critical, feminist perspective on desistance theory and practice. It is built around 23 original, narrative interviews with women and the staff of the community projects they attended, as well as a year of observations at Northshire Women's Centres. The book is concerned with outlining a feminist approach to desistance which recognises that the majority of women in the criminal justice system come from backgrounds of abuse, economic disadvantage and have alcohol, drug and mental health issues. The book is also be concerned with challenging the dichotomy of narratives of victimisation and survival while recognising that women have agency. In doing so, Desisting Sisters contests the neoliberal and patriarchal approach to desistance which promotes women's role as care givers and unpaid volunteer workers. Ultimately, Barr contends that women's desistance can resist neo-liberal, patriarchal constructs, much in the same way that feminist criminology has contended that women's offending more generally, often does. This book will be of particular use and interest to those studying modules on both traditional and critical criminology, criminal justice, psychology, sociology and social work courses.

This book presents the main concepts and tools for the adoption of a biopsychosocial approach to psychotropic substances use and abuse management, prevention and treatment. It aims to provide resources for the design and implementation of health strategies and public policies to deal with psychotropic substances use in a way that fully recognizes the complex articulations between its biological, psychological and social aspects, taking these three dimensions into account to develop both health and social care policies and strategies aimed at psychotropic substance users. The book is organized in five parts. Part one presents a historical overview of psychotropic substances use throughout human history and introduces key concepts to understand the phenomenon from a biopsychosocial perspective. The next three parts approach psychotropic substances use from one of the interrelated dimensions of the biopsychosocial perspective: part two focuses on the neurobiological aspects; part three, on the psychological aspects; and part four, on the social aspects and its implications for public policy design. Finally, a fifth part is dedicated to special topics related to psychotropic substances use. Drugs and Human Behavior: Biopsychosocial Aspects of Psychotropic Substances Use is a guide to public agents, health professionals and social workers interested in adopting the biopsychosocial perspective to develop and implement both health and social care strategies and policies based on an interdisciplinary approach and aimed at dealing with psychotropic substance users in a more humanized way.

Showcases a rights based participatory approaches to policy-making, practice and research with children and youth. conceptualise a rights based participatory approach. Interrogates the challenges and complexities in the implementation of a rights based participatory approach. Includes 17 newly-written chapters.

New Labour's modernisation agenda has produced an avalanche of change that has posed formidable challenges for everyone involved in social work, whether as service users, practitioners or managers. "Modernising Social Work" provides a radical appraisal of the far-reaching changes in their theoretical, historical and policy contexts. The book is organised into three sections that consider: the inter-relationship of modernisation and managerialism, modernisation's impact on service users and the ways in which social workers and front-line managers seek to exercise professional discretion for the benefit of service users within a workplace culture of intensified scrutiny and control.There is an analysis of a range of key developments in all three areas that reveals the modernisation agenda as complex and contested. The book's three sections cover the main issues of the modernisation agenda, making it ideal for teaching. Locating the issues in their theoretical, historical and policy contexts meets the needs of student readers and experienced social workers will appreciate the emphasis on empirical research as well as practice experience.

Essential Social Work Skills: A Practical Guide effectively bridges the gap between social work theory and application, equipping future social workers with the critical knowledge they need to pass their licensing exams and provide quality care to clients. The guide features detailed instructions for implementing specific interventions, as well as how social work operates at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels.This guide focuses on the application of interventions at the micro level, including diagnosis, treatment planning, and the use of individual and family therapy models. It begins with chapters that outline the role of the clinical social worker and ethical decision-making. Proceeding chapters cover valuing diversity and advocating for clients, how to eliminate counterproductive communication, treatment planning, and assessing motivation. Building upon this knowledge, readers learn how to apply these processes and skill sets to a full treatment plan for a client, from initial assessment through the conclusion of treatment. Designed to provide future social workers with a foundational framework for their practice, Essential Social Work Skills is an ideal textbook for introductory courses in social work.

This uniquely accessible volume challenges professionals to understand-and help correct-health disparities, both at the patient level and in their larger social contexts. Dedicated to eradicating this ongoing injustice, contributors focus on marginalized populations, the role of healthcare systems in perpetuating inequities, the need for deeper engagement and listening by professionals, and the need for advocacy within professional education and the political/policy arena. The compelling case narratives at the core of the book illustrate the interrelated biopsychosocial components of patients' health problems and the gradations of learning needed for practitioners to address them effectively. The book's tools for developing a health disparities curriculum include a selection of workshop exercises, facilitator resources, and a brief guide to writing effective case narratives. A sampling of the narratives: "Finding the Person in Patient-Centered Health Care" (race/ethnicity/culture). "The Annual Big Girl / Big Boy Exchange" (gender). "Just Give Me Narcan and Let Me Go" (poverty/addiction). "Everyone Called Him Crazy" (immigration). "Adrift in the System" (disability). "Aging out of Pediatrics" (mental illness and stigma). "Time to Leave" (LGBT) A work of profound compassion, Health Disparities will be of considerable interest to researchers and practitioners interested in public health, population health, health disparities, and related fields such as sociology, social work, and narrative medicine. Its wealth of educational features also makes it a quality training text. "I was impressed when I read Health Disparities: Weaving a New Understanding through Case Narratives. As a patient who has experienced unpleasant situations in health care, I was moved to see that it was emotional and personal for the writers. The book confirms for me that the time is now for change to take place in our health care systems. I see this book as a light that can shine bright in the darkest places of health care. The editors have assembled a powerful book that provides all health professionals with specific steps they can take towards addressing and then eventually eliminating health disparities. A few steps that I really connected with were improving critical awareness, delivering quality care, listening and empathizing with patients and families, and advocating for changes. I recommend that anyone interested in working to improve health care obtain a copy of this book-it's filled with useful information that every medical professional should know. The book reminds me of a quote by Wayne Dyer, 'When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.'" -Delores Collins, Founder and Executive Director, A Vision of Change Incorporated, Certified Community Health Worker. Founder of The Greater Cleveland Community Health Workers Association.

This book provides an account of the experience of a multifaceted system-change programme to strengthen the capacity of Ireland's statutory child protection and welfare agency in the areas of prevention, early intervention and family support. Many jurisdictions globally are involved in system change processes focused on increasing investment in services that seek to prevent children's entry into child protection and welfare systems, through early intervention, greater support to families, and an increased emphasis on rights and participation. Based on a four-year in-depth study by a team of University-based researchers, this text adds to the emerging knowledge-base on developing, implementing and evaluating system change in child protection and welfare. Study methodological approaches were wide ranging and involved a number of key stakeholders including children, parents, social workers and social care workers, service managers, agency leaders and policy makers. Since the change process involved an agency-university partnership encompassing design, technical support and evaluation, the book also contributes to understandings of the potential and limits of such partnerships in the child protection and welfare field. Uniquely, the book gives voice to the experience of both agency personnel and academic in the accounts provided. It will be of interest to all scholars, students and practitioners in the areas of child protection and welfare.

This volume brings together basic research on the nature of stress reactivity with up-to-date research on the effectiveness and mechanisms of mindfulness interventions. The chapters review the major research areas that elucidate the impact of stress reactivity on health, and explore the mechanisms and effectiveness of mindfulness-based approaches for stress reduction and improved physical and emotional health. The first section examines biopsychosocial mechanisms of stress reactivity such as allostasis and allostatic load, neurobiology of stress, biology of the "fight-or-flight" and "tend-and-befriend" responses, and psychoneuroimmunology. This section concludes by addressing the roles of perception and appraisal, including the role of perceived threat in stress reactivity as well as the role that negative perceptions of the stress response itself play in compromising health. The second section opens with review of leading psychological models of mindfulness, including self-regulation, reperceiving, and the Intention, Attention, Attitude (IAA) triaxiomatic model. Subsequent chapters discuss mindfulness-based interventions and mechanisms of change for stress and related clinical conditions including chronic pain, traumatic stress, anxiety and related disorders, and clinical depression. The final chapter reviews possible neural networks and brain mechanisms associated with mindfulness meditation practice. As the research on stress reactivity and mindfulness-based stress reduction continues to proliferate, this book offers readers a single volume covering the most relevant information across this vast terrain. Other available volumes offer in-depth coverage of stress research with little mention of mindfulness and stress reduction. Conversely, many texts on the topic of mindfulness and mindfulness-based interventions do not adequately cover the biopsychosocial processes of stress reactivity.

This social work book is the first of its kind, describing practical steps that social workers can take to shape and influence both policy and politics. It prepares social workers and social work students to impact political action and subsequent policy, with a detailed real-world framework for turning ideas into concrete goals and strategies for effecting change. Tracing the roots of social work in response to systemic social inequality, it clearly relates the tenets of social work to the challenges and opportunities of modern social change. The book identifies the core domains of political social work, including engaging individuals and communities in voting, influencing policy agendas, and seeking and holding elected office. Chapters elaborate on the necessary skills for political social work, featuring discussion, examples, and critical thinking exercises in such vital areas as: Power, empowerment, and conflict: engaging effectively with power in political settings. Getting on the agenda: assessing the political context and developing political strategy. Planning the political intervention: advocacy and electoral campaigns. Empowering voters Persuasive political communication. Budgeting and allocating resources. Evaluating political social work efforts. Making ethical decisions in political social work. Political Social Work is a potent reference for social work professionals, practitioners, and students seeking core political knowledge and skills to practically advance their work. For specialists and generalists alike, it solidifies political action as vital for the evolution of the field.

This book explores the gendered history of the Troubles, the rise of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, and the role of community development as a new field in Northern Ireland. Nearly twenty years after the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement that ended the Troubles in Northern Ireland, tensions persist and society is still deeply divided. The book addresses the ways in which women navigate these tensions and contribute to peacebuilding through community development, described dismissively by many in Northern Ireland as the work of "wee women." Women navigate this gendered space to build peace strategically through "Wee Women's Work." The author focuses in particular on the Women's Sector and draws on feminist theory to examine the distinction between formal and informal politics.

Originally published in 1966, this book gives examples of the most advanced thought about casework by well-known writers in England and the United States at the time. The ground covered includes: the use of some current sociological theory in casework; analysis of the interpersonal relationships in casework; new thought about the appropriate use of authority with people whose own internal controls are weak and unreliable; and recent advances in understanding and working with people who respond to action more easily than to words. These articles by well-known authorities illustrate the increased range of insight and skill required of modern caseworkers, and at the same time are highly readable, conveying complex ideas in language refreshingly free from jargon.

This stimulating resource presents the Looming Vulnerability Model, a nuanced take on the cognitive-behavioral conceptualization of anxiety, worry, and other responses to real or imagined threat. The core feature of the model-the perception of growing, rapidly approaching threat-is traced to humans' evolutionary past, and this dysfunctional perception is described as it affects cognitive processing, executive functioning, emotions, physiology, and behavior. The LVM framework allows for more subtle understanding of mechanisms of and risk factors for the range of anxiety disorders as well as for more elusive subclinical forms of anxiety, worry, and fear. In addition, the authors ably demonstrate how the LVM can inform and refine cognitive-behavioral and other approaches to conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of these often disabling conditions. This important volume: * Introduces the Looming Vulnerability Model in its evolutionary, developmental, cognitive, and ecological contexts. * Unites diverse theoretical strands regarding anxiety, fear, and worry including work on wildlife behavior, experimental cognition and perception, neuroimaging, and emotion. * Defines the looming cognitive style as a core aspect of vulnerability. * Describes the measurement of the looming cognitive style, Looming Maladaptive Style Questionnaire, and measures of looming vulnerability for specific disorders. * Details diverse clinical applications of the LVM across the anxiety disorders. Spotlighting phenomena particularly relevant to current times, Looming Vulnerability, brings a wealth of important new ideas to researchers studying anxiety disorders and practitioners seeking more avenues for treating anxiety in their patients.

This theory-to-practice guide offers mental health practitioners a powerful narrative-based approach to working with clients in clinical practice. It opens with a primer on contemporary narrative theory and offers a robust framework based on the art and techniques of listening for deeper, more meaningful understanding and intervention. Chapters expand on these foundational concepts by applying them to a diverse range of populations and issues, among them race and ethnicity, human sexuality, immigration, and the experience of trauma, grief, and loss. The author's engaging voice, thoughtful pedagogical style, and extensive use of examples and exercises also work together to inform the reader's own narrative of growth and self-knowledge. Included in the coverage:* Encountering the self, encountering the other: narratives of race and ethnicity.* Surviving together: individual and communal narratives in the wake of tragedy.* Spiritual stories: exploring ultimate meaning in social work practice.* Sexual stories: narratives of sexual identity, gender, and sexual development.* Leaving home, finding home: narrative practice with immigrant populations.* Moving on: narrative perspectives on grief and loss. Narrative Theory in Clinical Social Work Practice is geared toward students as well as seasoned social workers, and professionals and practitioners in related clinical fields interested in informing their work with a narrative approach.

Intuition in Psychotherapy provides an unprecedented look at the phenomenon of clinical intuition, outlining its role in psychotherapy and providing a framework to develop intuitive skills that will positively impact practice. Based on qualitative research and extensive first-hand interviews, the text illuminates how an awareness of intuitive processes can benefit therapists' diagnostic and treatment outcomes. Chapters provide a context for the use of intuition within current thinking in psychotherapy and highlight different forms of intuition that can be purposefully incorporated into clinical practice. Suitable for trainee and practicing psychotherapists, the text explores common intuitive processes and offers guidance for how practitioners might develop a unique therapeutic style. As understanding of intuition becomes mainstream in psychotherapy practice, Intuition in Psychotherapy will serve as a key point of reference for years to come.

This important textbook makes a timely contribution to international agendas in social work with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) people. It examines how practitioners and student social workers can provide appropriate care across the lifespan (including work with children and families and older people) and considers key challenges in social work practice - for example, asylum, mental health and substance misuse. Drawing on practice scenarios, the book takes an enquiry based learning approach to facilitate critical reflection. Its distinctive approach includes: use of the concepts of the Professional Capabilities Framework for social work; key theoretical perspectives including human rights; structured around the framework of the UK National Occupational Standards for social work; student friendly features including key questions and exercises; complete glossary of key terms and concepts; and, the UK policy and legislative context. Informed by international research in social work with LGBT people, the book is essential reading for students on qualifying social work programmes and practitioners in statutory, voluntary and independent sectors.

This book, written decades into the HIV epidemic, reflects critically on the idea that the socially excluded populations often focused on in HIV research are in fact difficult to access and reach. The author broadly applies the concept 'hard to reach' to characterize populations that researchers find difficult to engage with. Social factors that produce marginalization and ultimately result in people choosing not to engage in research are not captured by the concept of 'hard to reach'. Limited attention has focused on how researchers can address the social factors that result in decisions to not engage in research. Disrupting the ways in which people are conceptualized as 'hard to reach' so as to refocus on transforming social systems and personal values, beliefs and approaches is understudied. This book uses case examples based on HIV research with Indigenous youth, internally displaced women, LGBTQ communities in the Global North and Global South, and persons at the intersection of these identities, to identify successful approaches to working with marginalized and often vulnerable communities and groups. The chapters signal the need for attention to five key social factors when developing successful approaches: context and storytelling; cultural humility; critical hope; imagination and possibility; and love, intimate inquiry, and the beloved community, if nations, individuals and communities are to address the epidemic in a sustainable and impactful way.

This book traces the changing fortunes of radical and critical social work in the U.K., and examines the theory, context and application of such approaches. Radical social work of the 1970s declined as the rise of neoliberalism changed the nature of the welfare state along with what social workers do and how. A looser critical approach developed, although practitioner demoralisation and disillusionment led to the 'second wave' of radical social work in the late 2000s. Despite challenges, critical practice is both necessary and possible in the neoliberal world. Drawing on the author's unique experience, core areas of practice with children and families are covered, including real life case studies, key point summaries and suggestions for further reading. The essential argument is for an emancipatory practice geared to meeting immediate needs, as well as having some vision of a future, more socially just and equal, society. The book will be invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate social work students, experienced practitioners, educators, managers and policy makers.

This fully revised third edition explores the childhood and adolescent experiences of transgender persons, providing foundational knowledge for social workers and related professions about working with trans and gender expansive youth. Organized through the lens of four distinct forms of knowledge - knowledge of lived expertise, community-based knowledge, practice knowledge, and knowledge obtained through formal/traditional education - this text balances discussion of theory with a range of rich personal narratives and case studies. Updates and additions reflect recent changes to the WPATH guidelines and the NASW Code of Ethics, include brand new material examining the origins of gender identity and non-binary identities, explore intersectional identities, and offer expanded content considering trauma-informed interventions and ethical issues. Each featuring at least one trans or gender expansive author, chapters present concrete and practical recommendations to encourage competent and positive practice. With a focus on both macro and micro social work practice, this book will be a valuable resource to any social service practitioners working with children or adolescents.

This book brings together several valuable papers from different parts of the world, addressing social work with minorities in the areas of disability, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Collectively, these make an important contribution to developing theory, and practice awareness of how social work education with minority groups is framed, evidenced, and experienced. The perspectives and different strands of work presented within this book offer new insights and a better understanding of how a diverse set of social justice issues confronting social work education have led to the development of different types of interventions both in the classroom and in practice contexts. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the journal Social Work Education.

Examines the origins, development, and rise of the opioid epidemic in the United States from the perspective of the public policy process. Written by two political scientists, discusses institutional features of the American political system that impact the making of public policy, arguing that the fragmentation of that system hinders the ability to coherently address policy problems, taking the opioid epidemic as an example. Analyzes indicators and warning signs pointing to the emergence of a significant public problem, reasons the crisis emerged in the United States and not in other Western countries, the nature and scope of the opioid crisis, including socio-economic and demographic characteristics and the human, social, and economic costs, and parallels between the role played by opioid manufacturers and tobacco/cigarette manufacturers in creating the problem of addiction, resulting in high mortality rates, and the public policy response to both.

This book examines early interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with the goal to enable primary care physicians as well as other clinicians, therapists, and practitioners to assist parents in making informed decisions based on current research. It provides a map for successfully navigating the maze of early interventions for ASD, focusing on evidence. Chapters review the similarities and differences between current evidence-based treatments, how these treatments work, the factors that facilitate their effectiveness, and the pros and cons of their use for different children and different needs. In addition, chapters discuss the services, laws, policies, and societal issues related to early intervention in ASD. Featured topics include: Criteria to evaluate evidence in ASD interventions. Effective approaches for Social communication difficulties in ASD. Effective approaches for Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in ASD. Naturalistic, developmental approaches to early intervention for children with ASD The TEACCH approach and other visually based approaches for children with ASD. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) approaches to early intervention for children with ASD. What works for whom in ASD early intervention Clinical Guide to Early Interventions for Children with Autism is an essential resource for clinicians, primary care providers, and other practitioners as well as researchers, professors, and graduate students in the fields of child, school, and developmental psychology, pediatrics, social work, child and adolescent psychiatry, primary care medicine, and related disciplines.