Across the social welfare and human services fields, interest is growing in how to apply research to influence policy and practice; simultaneously, with globalization's advance, it is clearer than ever that an international perspective is vital in understanding how social, political, and institutional contexts affect research and dissemination practices. This volume, with contributions from an array of eminent researchers and practitioners, provides valuable insight into effective research practice and the factors involved in putting research findings to use. Leading with experience - narratives of six child welfare case studies from the UK, Ireland, Israel, South Africa, and the US - the book frames those cases in the context of relevant literatures to build up a cross-case analysis that distills lessons, throws enduring questions into relief, and lays a foundation for informing future practice. It mines the cross-national experience to develop perspective for a better understanding of the importance of different policy and cultural environments, while nonetheless emphasizing issues that are applicable across borders. The ground prepared by the case studies allows the volume to tease out themes and lessons, placing the empirical findings against relevant theoretical frameworks and developing guidelines for improving research practice in this arena.

Prof. Jona Rosenfeld is one of Israel's pioneering social workers. This, his autobiography, is a vivid testimony to his long life dedicated to social work, sociology, psychotherapy and social action. Born in Germany, in 1933 he immigrated with his family to Palestine. In the nascent state of Israel, Rosenfeld very quickly made his mark on the field of social work that was still in its infancy. Then, through his drive, determination and creativity saw it develop and mature. Significantly, he clarified the task of social work: serving the excluded in our midst, and showed how they can be enabled by social workers to improve their lives. After aligning himself with ATD The Fourth World Movement, he worked internationally with families living in extreme poverty and exclusion. The book ends with a call to address two man-made evils, genocide and poverty, as a world-wide challenge for the future.