Central to a social worker's role is the ability to work with people from diverse backgrounds, but social workers can often feel anxious and unsure of how to approach anti-discriminatory practice. This book, grounded in practice experience, is an accessible guide to diversity issues in social work. Packed with tools and models for practice, it considers the concept of diversity and how people differ, provides a model for understanding discrimination, and discusses cross-cultural communication, including the impact and use of language. The authors also explore different learning styles and how to work constructively when personal preferences differ. Practice vignettes and exercises for the reader are included throughout the book. This book is essential reading for social work students, practitioners, managers, practice teachers and assessors, and trainers, as well as those in allied professions.

How do you keep the whole family in mind when carrying out social work assessment? How do you balance the needs of adults and children? How do you ensure that children's welfare and safety are everyone's priority when families face complex difficulties? Mastering Whole Family Assessment in Social Work brings together what social workers in adult and children services need to know about assessment across both services. With tools and frameworks that make sense of the interface between adult life difficulties, family problems, parenting capacity and children's needs, this practical guide will help social workers to think across professional and administrative divides. Case studies, practice vignettes, exercises and suggestions for further reading are included throughout the book to help the reader consider the well-being of the whole family when conducting and interpreting assessments. This guide will help social workers to think holistically and work collaboratively both with each other and with families.

Communication skills are fundamental to effective social work practice. Accessible and easy-to-read, Mastering Communication in Social Work is designed to help you develop these essential skills. It explores the basics of how communication works, the factors that influence how effectively you attend to and convey information, and how you can improve your communication. Particular attention is given to the challenges posed by difficult clients and the cultural dimensions of communication. Gast and Bailey put forward a reflective model for practice designed help you break bad habits and develop a wider repertoire of communication behaviours. Practice vignettes and exercises for the reader are included throughout. This book is essential reading for social work students, practitioners, managers, practice teachers and assessors, and trainers, as well as those in allied professions.

This key text examines ethical concerns arising at different stages of professional development in social work and offers guidelines to overcoming them. Practice pointers equip practitioners with the skills and knowledge to move beyond professional codes and work to a broader set of values.

This book is an accessible guide to the essential skills of social work supervision. It covers the development of the supervisor-supervisee relationship, the assessment and management of risk, understanding and managing poor performance, and support for the supervisors themselves.

So, you've passed your degree and have started your first job. But are you confident about translating the theory into practice? Are you prepared to juggle the workload of a busy social worker? Do you have a plan for your continuing professional development? This practical guide provides a wealth of suggestions to help you to hit the ground running in the early stages of your new career. Fully revised and updated with the latest national frameworks for NQSWs, this survival guide provides a range of strategies for managing your time and workload, and offers suggestions for finding support, coping with stress and maintaining job satisfaction. It addresses different ways of handling challenging and unfamiliar situations with colleagues, managers, other professionals and service users. Each chapter concludes with a checklist of key points as a ready reference for practitioners preparing to face the daily challenges of their new professional status. This invaluable guide will be an essential support for all students, post-qualification and returning practitioners who need to make a smooth transition to practice and be successful in the workplace.

This primary social work practice text, built around the nine core 2015 CSWE competencies, is the only book available that provides students with the benefits of a fully integrated competency-based approach. Social Work Practice: A Competency-Based Approach immediately immerses students in the competencies required for social work practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels. Designed for use in both upper level BSW and foundation level MSW social work practice courses, the book is uniquely structured to deliver the knowledge and skills students need to develop mastery of the professional social work competencies. Chapters provide a comprehensive overview of the theories, concepts, and practice components related to each competency. Engaging vignettes, chapter objectives that outline key concepts, abundant case examples, critical-thinking questions, and a detailed case summary with discussion questions in each chapter, help students deepen their understanding of practical applications of the nine core competencies. Each chapter uses the same case to perfectly illustrate the complexity of social work practice and the interconnections among the professional competencies. A robust supplementary instructor package includes PowerPoints, competency-based class assignments with grading rubrics, and sample syllabi. Print version of book includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents. Key Features: Uniquely organized with a fully integrated competency-based approach Devotes one or more chapters to each of the nine CSWE professional competencies Delivers abundant case studies that facilitate in-depth understanding and integration of competencies Provides case vignettes, critical thinking and discussion questions, and chapter summaries Includes supplementary instructor resources such as PowerPoints, group discussion questions, and competency-based written assignments with grading rubrics Offers sample syllabi for two separate one-semester courses and a seven-week online course Includes Student Resources, featuring online forms, templates, exercises, plans, and more to provide students with ample practice opportunities

Skills lie at the heart of all actions of a social worker, and inform all aspects of practice – from drawing on vital theoretical and ethical frameworks to applying the law and research findings to particular situations. This user-friendly and logically organised text book brings together in one place all the vital skill sets which students need to acquire in order to qualify as social workers. It reflects current practice frameworks and addresses a wide range of skills including communication and relationship building, professional writing, ethical practice, assessment and reflection. his engaging and practical book is essential reading for social work students taking skills and practice modules as well as being a critical tool for practitioners looking to enhance their skills in social work practice.

Based on original research, this book offers students an insight into the nature and challenges of writing in social work practice, enabling them to improve their writing skills. It explores the ways in which both students and qualified social workers can be more effective in their writing through an awareness of the purpose, context and audience. It makes explicit the connections and differences between learning to write in university and communicating through writing in practice and explores the impact that new technologies have on academic and professional writing. Drawing on both research and examples from practice, Effective writing for social work is a valuable tool for students, educators, practitioners and managers to critically examine ways in which writing could better support best practice in social work.

'Professional Risk and Working with People' provides advice on assessing and managing risks for all those employed to take risks with or on behalf of other people. Examples of risk policies, systems and effective judgement in managing complex risk decisions are included.