The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Practice Research is the first international handbook to focus on practice research for social work. Bringing together leading scholars in the field from Europe, the USA and the Asia Pacific region, it provides an up-to-the minute overview of the latest thinking in practice research whilst also providing practical advice on how to undertake practice research in the field. It is divided into five sections: State of the art Methodologies Pedagogies Applications Expanding the frontiers The range of topics discussed will enhance student development as well as increase the capacity of practitioners to conduct research; develop coordinating and leadership roles; and liaise with multiple stakeholders who will strengthen the context base for practice research. As such, this handbook will be essential reading for all social work students, practitioners and academics as well as those working in other health and social care settings.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of research methods in the behavioral sciences, focusing primarily on the conceptual issues inherent in conducting research. It covers topics that are often omitted from other texts, including measurement issues, correlational research, qualitative research, and integrative literature reviews. The book also includes discussions of diversity issues as they related to behavioral science research. New to this edition are chapter boxes that focus on applied issues related to each chapter topic. Throughout the book, readable examples and informative tables and figures are provided. The authors also take a contemporary approach to topics such as research ethics, replication research, and data collection (including internet research).

The Routledge Handbook of Social Work and Addictive Behaviors is a definitive resource about addictive behaviors, emphasizing substance misuse, gambling, and problematic technology use. Contents address their prevalence in various communities and populations globally, theories related to their origins and etiology, and what is currently known about effective intervention strategies, education, and research. Social work's biopsychosocial, lifespan, and person-in-environment perspectives underpin the book contents which are applicable to a wide range of professional and social science disciplines. Contents are divided into five sections: The scope and nature of addictive behavior and related problems Addictive behavior across the lifespan and specific populations Interventions to prevent and address addictive behavior and related problems Issues frequently co-occurring with addictive behavior Moving forward This handbook provides students, practitioners, and scholars with a strong focus on cutting-edge high-quality research. With contributions from a global interdisciplinary team of leading scholars, this handbook is relevant to readers from social work, public health, psychology, education, sociology, criminal justice, medicine, nursing, human services, and health professions.

This volume brings together academics, activists, social work practitioners, poets, and artists from different parts of the world during the Covid-19 pandemic. It sheds light on how the pandemic has exposed the inequities in society and is shaping social institutions, affecting human relationships, and creating new norms with each passing day. It examines how people from diverse societies and fields of work have come to conceptualise and imagine a new world order based on the principles of social and ecological justice, care, and human dignity. It prioritises the realm of imagination, creativity, and affect in understanding social formations and in shaping societies beyond the positivist approaches. Documenting the myriad experiences and responses to the pandemic, the volume foregrounds varied processes of making meaning; understanding impulses, resistances, and coping mechanisms; and building solidarities. Further, it also acts as a tool of memory for future generations, and articulations- artistic, political, socio-cultural, scientific- of hope and perseverance. This spectrum of expressions intends to value visceral experiences, build solidarities, and find solace in art. Its uniqueness lies in the way it brings together a much-needed interface between science, social sciences, and humanities. A compelling account on our contemporary lives, the volume will be of great interest to scholars of sociology and social anthropology, politics, art and aesthetics, psychology, social work, literature, health, and medical sciences.

Life and Suicide Following Brain Injury tells the story of Tom, a 43 year-old man who acquired a brain injury from a road traffic accident at the age of 22. Tom survived but went on to take his own life 20 years later. As a vulnerable adult with mental health issues and long-term difficulties with substance misuse, this book tells Tom's story from his early childhood through to his death. In telling Tom's story, the author- a researcher in the brain injury field and Tom's sister- identifies the multiple suicide risk factors as well as the lack of understanding and inadequate service provision for people with complex needs following TBI. His story serves as a harrowing example of what can go wrong when timely intervention and support is not forthcoming, identifying a multitude of risk factors and possible points of intervention to improve care in the future. This book provides insight to professionals and academics across health and social care in the risks of suicide associated with TBI. It also provides support for those who have experienced the grief of losing a survivor to suicide, or those struggling to support a survivor who is suicidal.

This engaging and timely volume contributes new knowledge to the rapidly emerging field of globalisation and social work. The volume brings together cutting-edge interdisciplinary scholarship from countries such as Australia, Finland, Japan, South Africa, the Philippines and Sweden. It proposes 'glocalisation' as a useful concept for re-framing conditions, methodologies and practices for social work in a world perspective. Part I of the volume, 'The Glocalisation of Social Issues', deals with major environmental, social and cultural issues - migration and human rights, environmental problems and gendered violence. Part II, 'Methodological Re-Shaping and Spatial Transgression in Glocalised Social Work', develops an epistemology of situated knowledge and methodologies inspired by art, creative writing and cultural geography, focusing on physical, material and emotional spatial dimensions of relevance to social work. Part III, 'Responses from Social Work as a Glocalised Profession', examines how social work has responded to specific social problems, crises and vulnerabilities in a glocalised world.

First published in 1998, Social Assessment Theory and Practice provides an innovative and comprehensive theoretical and practical basis for social assessment. It examines both multi-disciplinary and multi-professional issues in social assessment and is based on perspectives drawn from all the major service users and oppressed social groups. The book integrates social theory and practice at multiple levels, using summaries, checklists, diagrams and a running case study.

1. Addresses a common area of concern in critical psychology today. There is also increasing interest in social context and social justice issues among trainee psychologists and practitioners. 2. Clearly presents and makes accessible what some would consider intimidating theories and theorists (such as Lacan). 3. Provides a platform for theorists from marginalized backgrounds, such as Patricia Hill Collins, Trinh Minh Ha, or Kimberle Crenshaw, and consciously choosing to omit white male authors in certain works by certain individuals to glean a more comprehensive viewpoint of intersectionality and subjectivity.

Are children the passive recipients of influence from their parents and from society? Is their development determined by their genes and their neurons, or do they have the capacity to think about and influence their own lives and the world around them? How does their interaction with their social and material worlds support or hinder agency? Are children agents, and what do we mean by agency? Children as Agents in Their Worlds aims to answer these questions through a critical psychological and relational approach, while referencing and critiquing a wide range of perspectives from other disciplines including sociology, anthropology and education. Greene and Nixon review the pioneering work of scholars of childhood studies and current post-human theories of agency and offer a developmental perspective on the emergence of the sense of agency and the exercise of agency in children. They discuss key themes including agency in families, agency within the school context and with peers, and children as agents in the wider public sphere. They explore agency and diversity, examining sex, age, genetic inheritance and contextual sources of difference, such as social class and geographical location. Offering a stronger theoretical base for research and policy, through a synthesis of both psychological and relational theories, Children as Agents in Their Worlds will be essential reading for students and professionals in developmental psychology, sociology and anthropology, as well as education, childhood studies, children's rights and related fields.

For courses in Group Social Work Practice Widely used by professionals, educators, and students in undergraduate and graduate courses in schools of social work throughout the world, this text presents a comprehensive, coherent, organized overview of group work practice from a generalist practice perspective. The new Ninth Edition, Global Edition, continues to include typologies illustrating group work practice with task and treatment groups at the micro-,meso-, and macro-levels. Thoroughly updated throughout, the new edition of An Introduction to Group Work Practice includes research on virtual groups, updated and deeper content on practice with treatment and task groups, the most current literature on working with reluctant and resistant group members, updated and expanded sections on working with individuals who have difficulty engaging in and sustaining work in groups, updated material on leadership and diversity, and thoroughly updated reference material and new content from evidence-based practice sources.

Decades of research on affect and emotion have brought out the paramount importance of affective processes for human lives. Affect in Relation brings together perspectives from social science and cultural studies to analyze the formative, subject constituting potentials of affect and emotion. Relational affect is understood not as individual mental states, but as social-relational processes that are both formative and transformative of human subjects. This volume explores relational affect through a combination of interdisciplinary case studies within four key contexts: Part I: "Affective Families" deals with the affective dynamics in transnational families who are scattered across several regions and nations. Part II: "Affect and Place" brings together work on affective place-making in the contexts of migration and in political movements. Part III: "Affect at Work" analyzes the affective dimension of contemporary white-collar workplaces. Part IV: "Affect and Media" focuses on the role of media in the formation and mobilization of relational affect. In its transdisciplinary spirit, analytical rigor and focus on timely and salient global matters, Affect in Relation consolidates the field of affect studies and opens up new avenues for scholarly and practical co-operation. It will appeal to both students and postdoctoral researchers interested in fields such as anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, media studies and human development.

Social Work Practice in the Criminal Justice System presents an overview of the criminal justice system for social workers, exploring the networks and institutions which comprise it. Integrating social work ethics and a commitment to social justice, this textbook explores social work practice roles to address social problems within the criminal justice system and promotes the development of knowledge, skills, and critical reflection in this increasingly important area of practice. In addition to covering the four key areas for social work practice - law enforcement, courts, corrections, and legislation, it covers police social work and forensic social work. This second edition has been updated to include: The opioid crisis and opioid courts Separate chapters describing special populations and contemporary issues in the criminal justice system Expanded criminal justice perspectives and theoretical frameworks. Examining the challenges and opportunities of social work practice in the criminal justice system, this is the ideal text for social work instructors, students, and practitioners working with or within the criminal justice system. Each chapter includes a summary of social work practice implications, key terms, and suggestions for further reading.

Pitched at students taking qualifying degrees in social work, i.e. undergraduate and masters as well as Think Ahead but is also relevant for mental health practitioners taking post-qualifying courses, particularly those to accredit them as Advanced Mental Health Professionals. Authoritative evidence-based introduction to an area of specialism chosen by many social work students. Provides detailed coverage of mental health across the life course including working with children and older people.

Gerontological Social Work in Action introduces "anti-oppression gerontology" (AOG), a critical approach to social work with older adults, their families, and communities. AOG principles are applied to direct and indirect practice and a range of topics of relevance to social work practice in the context of a rapidly aging and increasingly diverse world. Weaving together stories from diverse older adults, theories, research, and practical tools, this unique textbook prompts social workers to think differently and push back against oppressive forces. It pays attention to issues, realities, and contexts that are largely absent in social work education and gerontological practice, including important developments in our understanding of age/ism; theories of aging and social work; sites and sectors of health and social care; managing risk and frailty; moral, ethical and legal questions about aging including medical assistance in dying; caregiving; dementia and citizenship; trauma; and much more. This textbook should be considered essential reading for social work students new to or seeking to specialize in aging, as well as those interested in the application of anti-oppressive principles to working with older adults and researching later life.

This book brings together scholars from across the behavioural sciences and public health to examine substance use in Sub-Saharan Africa. Divided into two parts, the first chapters examine aetiology, signs and symptoms, risk factors, impact, and psychosocial challenges relating to use of conventional drugs, among others. The second section focuses on prevention and intervention strategies to curtail substance abuse. The authors provide a research-informed, practical resource on sustainable community health concepts, procedures and practices for addressing substance use for the health and wellbeing of partner communities. The prevention and intervention strategies discussed include a comprehensive consideration of context-specific behavioural, environmental, psychosocial and cultural factors that may affect substance use. The chapters examine various aspects of use including, dependency, intoxication, and withdrawal in tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other substances. The book provides a research-informed, practical resource that will appeal to students and scholars of psychology, psychiatry and public health; as well as to policymakers and practitioners in the fields of addiction, development and allied health.

Transnational Social Policy highlights the changing face of social policy and social work against the background of accelerating transnationalization of economies, labour markets, education, social services, and care. The contributions of this book provide unique case examples on the interplay of social policies, mobile populations, and travelling knowledge about welfare within an increasingly asymmetrical global context. This innovative volume also includes historical studies on the transformations of social policies during the last century and reflects the developments of social welfare across the Global North and the Global South. With its emphasis on theoretical assumptions of policy translation, the case studies show the importance of adjustments, negotiations, and participation of various actors in the transnational social field of welfare production. Thus, within ever-shifting contexts of new political agendas promoting the free play of the market and a neoliberal agenda of competition and austerity, this insightful book reveals new transnational forms of social exclusion that function within, across, and in-between nation-states. Presenting a major and much needed addition to current discussions on globalization and the increasing complexity of worldwide social relations, this volume will be of interest to scholars and graduate students interested in fields such as Social Policy, Social Work, Public Administration, Development Studies, Political Science, and Sociology, as well as many interdisciplinary fields including Global Studies, International Development Studies, and Immigration and Settlement Studies.

This lively, comprehensive introduction to human behavior in the social environment offers a multidimensional approach, with discussion of integrative practice, theory, treatment, and services as well as matters pertaining to diversity. You'll find solid coverage of foundation knowledge, material on the biopsychosocial dimensions for assessing social functioning, and case studies to illuminate the applied aspects of case formulation processes. The sixth edition integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the 2015 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), helping you connect foundation knowledge with practice concerns. Study tables and concept maps clarify major phases of biopsychosocial development. In short, this text's framework gives you a concrete tool for assessing human behavior from a perspective that reflects the values and knowledge base of the social work profession.

Narrative and Dramatic Approaches to Children's Life Story with Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families outlines narrative and dramatic approaches to improve vulnerable family relationships. It provides a model which offers new ways for parents to practise communicating with their children and develop positive relationships. The book focuses on the Theatre of Attachment model - a highly innovative approach which draws from a strong theoretical base to demonstrate the importance of narrative and dramatic play for sharing the children's life history in the family home with their adoptive, foster or kinship parents. An emphasis is on having fun ways to work through complex feelings and divided loyalties, so as to secure attachment. This practice model aims to raise children's self-esteem and communication skills and to combat the profound effects of abuse, neglect on trauma on children's development. This book will be of great interest for academics, post-graduate students, universities and Training bodies, service providers and practitioners involved in social work and creative therapies, child psychologists, child psychotherapists and public and private adoption and foster care agencies.

International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict provides an important basis for readers to recognise and understand the unique and specialist role that social workers have played and continue to play in international contexts of political conflict. Social workers make an important contribution in these difficult and sometimes dangerous situations across all continents. This book highlights the importance of social work in these very challenging contexts. The first part of this book includes four chapters that summarise the existing knowledge base. The second part focuses on a case study of Northern Ireland where, for the first time, a detailed examination of the social work role was completed which involved researching the views of social work practitioners, managers and educators. Part three then draws together international experts in the field who have written chapters on those regions where social workers have been dealing with long standing periods of political conflict. At a time when violent conflagrations are currently a feature of many countries and regions across the continents of the world, this book offers a critical view of the social work role in these contexts and should thus be considered essential reading for all social work academics, students and professionals working in conflict-affected societies.

Fully revised second edition. Includes glossary of key social work terms. Includes detailed discussions of the changes to the organisation of social work practice and education in the countries of the UK. In addition to this, there is greater international content. Covers the full range of social work, not just one group/type, with discussions of children, adults and the elderly over topics including immigration, people trafficking and refugees, protection, substance abuse and socially excluded groups.

Children who come into conflict with the law are more likely to have experienced violence or adversity than their non-offending peers. Exacerbating the deleterious effects of this childhood trauma, children's contact with the criminal justice system poses undue risks of physical, sexual, and psychological violence. This book examines the specific forms of violence that children experience through their contact with the criminal justice system. Comprising contributions from leading scholars and practitioners in children's rights and youth justice, this book profiles evidence-based prevention strategies and case studies from around the world. It illustrates the diversity of contexts in which various forms of violence against children unfold and advances knowledge about both the nature and extent of violence against children in criminal justice settings, and the specific situational factors that contribute to, or inhibit, the successful implementation of violence prevention strategies. It demonstrates that specialised child justice systems, in which children's rights are upheld, are crucial in preventing the violence inherent to conventional criminal justice regimes. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be of interest to students and researchers engaged in studies of criminology and criminal justice, youth justice, victimology, crime prevention, and children's rights.

Child Abuse and Neglect examines the latest research on this important topic, discussing what it entails, how to recognize it, and how to report it. The book begins with an overview of child maltreatment including its history, a summary of the research, and the risk factors, before exploring issues of mandated reporting. It then considers different forms of maltreatment - physical abuse, neglect, psychological maltreatment, sexual abuse, fetal abuse, and Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. The authors discuss incidence estimates and consequences, as well as resiliency, for each type of maltreatment, and then review legal issues including forensic interviewing. The book concludes by providing an overview of what happens to a child after a report is filed along with suggestions for preventing child maltreatment. This edition has been thoroughly updated throughout to cover the latest theory and research. Referencing the DSM-V, the book also features updated coverage of state and federal laws to reflect new legislation, and additional case studies covering real-world events such as the sexual abuse scandals within USA Gymnastics, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Southern Baptist Convention. Written with students in mind, the book features a wealth of engaging learning tools throughout, including: Theory Highlight boxes, Focus on Research boxes, Case Examples, Legal Examples, Focus on Law boxes, Discussion Questions, and Key Terms. It will be essential reading for all students taking courses on child abuse, child maltreatment, family violence, or sexual and intimate violence taught in psychology, human development, education, criminal justice, social work, sociology, women's studies, and nursing. This book will also be an invaluable resource to workers who are mandated reporters of child maltreatment and/or anyone interested in the problem. This book is based on the legal system and the Child Protection System in the United States of America. It is accompanied by a set of online instructor resources.

One of the perennial political/philosophical questions concerns whether it is ever justifiable for a third party to paternalistically restrict an adult's freedom to ensure their own, or society's, best interests are protected. Wherever one stands on this debate it remains the case that, unlike their non-impaired contemporaries, many intellectually disabled adults are subjected to a paternalistic regime of care. This is particularly the case regarding members of this population exercising more control of their sexuality. Utilizing rare empirical data, Foucault's theory of power and Kristeva's concept of abjection, this work shows that many non-disabled people - including family members - hold ambivalent attitudes towards people with visible disabilities expressing their sexuality. Through a careful examination of the autonomy/paternalism debate this is the first book to provide an original, provocative and philosophically compelling analysis to argue that where necessary, facilitated sex with prostitutes should be included as part of a new regime of care to ensure that sexual needs are met. Intellectual Disability and the Right to a Sexual Life is essential reading for scholars, students and policy-makers with an interest in philosophy, sociology, political theory, social work, disability studies and sex studies. It will also be of interest to anybody who is a parent or a sibling of an adult with an intellectual disability and those with an interest in human rights and disability more generally.

This book examines the social welfare policies and programmes devised to address different societal issues and concerns across the South Asian countries. It focuses on the design and delivery of social welfare policies related to women, children, the elderly and groups living below poverty level. It brings a wide array of themes to the fore - empowerment of vulnerable populations, globalization and inclusive development, intervention in Northeast India, employment of elderly teachers in Sri Lanka, regulations in prisons, ageing South Asia and elderly care, social exclusion and urban poor, girl child education in India, child protection in Bangladesh and women panchayat leaders - to provide an evidence-based understanding of social policy formulation, implementation and monitoring in South Asia. Comprehensive and topical, this volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of political studies, sociology, development studies and public policy, and also to practitioners and those in the development sector, NGOs and think tanks.

While evidence-based policy is an emerging rhetoric of the desire by and for governments to develop policies based on the best available evidence, drug policy is an area where particular challenges abound. This book is a detailed and comprehensive examination of the contours of drug policy development through the consideration of the particular roles of science, media, and interest groups. Using Belgium as the primary case-study, supplemented by insights gathered from other countries, the author contributes to a richer understanding of the science-policy nexus in the messy, real-world complexities of drug policy. Change or Continuity in Drug Policy: The Roles of Science, Media, and Interest Groups is the first book to bring together policy and media theories, knowledge utilisation models, and public scholarship literature. As such, the book provides unique insights relevant to aspects of change or continuity in drug policies in Europe and beyond. This book will be of great value to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as to academics, practitioners and policymakers with interest in the science-policy nexus with a particular focus on the drug policy domain.