Social work is the profession that claims to intervene to enhance people's well-being. However, social workers have played a low-key role in environmental issues that increasingly impact on people's well-being, both locally and globally.

This compelling new contribution confronts this topic head-on, examining environmental issues from a social work perspective. Lena Dominelli draws attention to the important voice of practitioners working on the ground in the aftermath of environmental disasters, whether these are caused by climate change, industrial accidents or human conflict. The author explores the concept of 'green social work' and its role in using environmental crises to address poverty and other forms of structural inequalities, to obtain more equitable allocations of limited natural resources and to tackle global socio-political forces that have a damaging impact upon the quality of life of poor and marginalized populations at local levels. The resolution of these matters is linked to community initiatives that social workers can engage in to ensure that the quality of life of poor people can be enhanced without costing the Earth.

This important book will appeal to those in the fields of social work, social policy, sociology and human geography. It powerfully reveals how environmental issues are an integral part of social work's remit if it is to retain its currency in the modern world and emphasize its relevance to the social issues that societies have to resolve in the twenty-first century.

This inspiring and stimulating book confronts contemporary challenges facing social workers. Many of the forms of human, social and environmental degradation addressed arise from social problems that have persisted over time, such as social work's own uncertain professional status, poverty, structural inequalities, migratory movements and armed conflicts. However, these challenges include newer problems rooted in the interdependent nature of the world. These issues centre on globalization, the worldwide recession that undermined fiscal sustainability in Western countries, environmental pollution, climate change and natural disasters, concerns which present fresh arenas for social worker involvement, and opportunities for innovation in social work theories and paradigms for practice.In exploring the tensions that globalization creates for practice, Lena Dominelli reveals the diverse and heterogeneous nature of social work as a profession even though it has many facets that are shared across borders. In a fluid global context where migratory movements and the internationalization of social problems mean that problems that began in one country have significant implications and require action in another, social workers must support practices that endorse human rights, social justice and citizenship for all of the planet's inhabitants."Social Work in a Globalizing World" sets an ambitious agenda for social work and calls for international co-operation, alliances and action alongside local ones. Only then can its optimistic message of a viable end to the degradation of human beings and their physical environment be achieved.

Social work is facing fundamental changes and challenges. Neo-liberalism, globalization, corporate management and the mixed economy of welfare have transformed the profession by undermining former certainties of practice. 'Clients' have added their own voice to the need for new models of service delivery. Social Work engages with the dilemmas and opportunities emanating from the contested nature of practice. Using a broad range of theories, this book outlines the knowledge, skills and values that enable practitioners to respond more effectively to the demands of working in fluid and constantly changing contexts. Underpinning the approach that it takes is the idea that 'clients' are citizens with social and human rights which have to be respected. This provides the intellectual basis for a practice rooted in the ideas of citizenship, solidarity and reciprocity, thus reformulating the relationship between 'clients' and society.

This important new textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the dilemmas and tensions that practitioners are compelled to resolve in their daily work. It will be invaluable for students taking courses in social work, social welfare and applied sociology as well as nursing and health professionals, social work practitioners and policymakers.

Social work is facing fundamental changes and challenges. Neo-liberalism, globalization, corporate management and the mixed economy of welfare have transformed the profession by undermining former certainties of practice. 'Clients' have added their own voice to the need for new models of service delivery. Social Work engages with the dilemmas and opportunities emanating from the contested nature of practice. Using a broad range of theories, this book outlines the knowledge, skills and values that enable practitioners to respond more effectively to the demands of working in fluid and constantly changing contexts. Underpinning the approach that it takes is the idea that 'clients' are citizens with social and human rights which have to be respected.This provides the intellectual basis for a practice rooted in the ideas of citizenship, solidarity and reciprocity, thus reformulating the relationship between 'clients' and society. This important new textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to the dilemmas and tensions that practitioners are compelled to resolve in their daily work. It will be invaluable for students taking courses in social work, social welfare and applied sociology as well as nursing and health professionals, social work practitioners and policymakers.

This inspiring and stimulating book confronts contemporary challenges facing social workers. Many of the forms of human, social and environmental degradation addressed arise from social problems that have persisted over time, such as social work's own uncertain professional status, poverty, structural inequalities, migratory movements and armed conflicts. However, these challenges include newer problems rooted in the interdependent nature of the world. These issues centre on globalization, the worldwide recession that undermined fiscal sustainability in Western countries, environmental pollution, climate change and natural disasters, concerns which present fresh arenas for social worker involvement, and opportunities for innovation in social work theories and paradigms for practice.In exploring the tensions that globalization creates for practice, Lena Dominelli reveals the diverse and heterogeneous nature of social work as a profession even though it has many facets that are shared across borders. In a fluid global context where migratory movements and the internationalization of social problems mean that problems that began in one country have significant implications and require action in another, social workers must support practices that endorse human rights, social justice and citizenship for all of the planet's inhabitants."Social Work in a Globalizing World" sets an ambitious agenda for social work and calls for international co-operation, alliances and action alongside local ones. Only then can its optimistic message of a viable end to the degradation of human beings and their physical environment be achieved.

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.

Social work is the profession that claims to intervene to enhance people's well-being. However, social workers have played a low-key role in environmental issues that increasingly impact on people's well-being, both locally and globally.

This compelling new contribution confronts this topic head-on, examining environmental issues from a social work perspective. Lena Dominelli draws attention to the important voice of practitioners working on the ground in the aftermath of environmental disasters, whether these are caused by climate change, industrial accidents or human conflict. The author explores the concept of 'green social work' and its role in using environmental crises to address poverty and other forms of structural inequalities, to obtain more equitable allocations of limited natural resources and to tackle global socio-political forces that have a damaging impact upon the quality of life of poor and marginalized populations at local levels. The resolution of these matters is linked to community initiatives that social workers can engage in to ensure that the quality of life of poor people can be enhanced without costing the Earth.

This important book will appeal to those in the fields of social work, social policy, sociology and human geography. It powerfully reveals how environmental issues are an integral part of social work's remit if it is to retain its currency in the modern world and emphasize its relevance to the social issues that societies have to resolve in the twenty-first century.

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.