This innovative text offers comprehensive coverage of the discipline of social policy and its central relevance to social work, social care and related practice in Scotland. Designed to complement teaching and study associated with the new Honours degree in Social Work (Scottish Executive 2003), it fills a notable gap in the literature on this subject and will be essential reading for students, professionals and academics within a variety of health and social care occupations.

Since devolution in 1999, social policy within Scotland has burgeoned. The Scottish Parliament has a range of powers in relation to key policy areas including social work, education, health, child care, child protection, law and home affairs, and housing. These powers and the existence of a distinct legal tradition in Scotland means that social work practice has developed a distinctive style, attuned to the particular needs of Scotland. Scottish distinctiveness however, has rarely been properly represented in textbooks on either social policy or social work. This innovative text offers comprehensive coverage of the discipline of social policy and its central relevance to social work, social care and related practice in Scotland. Designed to complement teaching and study associated with the new Honours degree in Social Work (Scottish Executive 2003), it fills a notable gap in the literature on this subject and will be essential reading for students, professionals and academics within a variety of health and social care occupations.

This revised second edition analyses social policy in Scotland since devolution in 1999 and reflects the nascent and distinctively Scottish policy agenda. Along with updated chapters, there are two new inclusions: a chapter analysing post-devolution Scotland and a chapter on the likely impacts of Brexit on and within Scotland. Providing diagrams, tables and a range of activities, the book maintains an innovative and pedagogic emphasis to introduce students to a wealth of materials, ideas and practical responses to the increasingly complex and diverse situations faced by social workers and other professionals. Part 1 of the book looks at what social policy is, how and why it is made and highlights the importance of the relationship between social policy and the law. Part 2 refers to specific themes of social exclusion, poverty and (more visible for this revised edition) austerity, considering their complex and multidimensional forms and discussing the range of policies currently extant that aim to combat such disadvantage. Part 3 provides a comprehensive overview of policy for practice, considering concepts of health inequality, mental health, older people, disability, children and families, education, substance use, criminal justice, asylum and immigration and homelessness. This book will be of interest to undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as post-qualified professionals seeking to understand the complexities of the social policy landscape in Scotland, and its influence on social work and related forms of professional practice.

This book argues that the concept of care is a political and a moral concept. As such, it enables us to examine moral and political life through a radically different lens. The editors and contributors to the book argue that care has the potential to interrogate relationships of power and to be a tool for radical political analysis for an emerging critical social work that is concerned with human rights and social justice. The book brings a critical ethics of care into the realm of theory and practice in social work. Informed by critical theory, feminism, intersectionality and post-colonialism, the book interrogates the concept of care in a wide range of social work settings. It examines care in the context of social neglect, interdisciplinary perspectives, the responsibilisation agenda in social work and the ongoing debate about care and justice. It situates care in the settings of mental health, homelessness, elder care, child protection, asylum seekers and humanitarian aid. It further demonstrates what can be learnt about care from the post-colonial margins, Aboriginal societies, LGBTI communities and disability politics. It demonstrates ways of transforming the politics and practices of care through the work of feminist mothers, caring practices by men, meditations on love, rethinking self-care, extending care to the natural environment and the principles informing cross-species care. The book will be invaluable to social workers, human service practitioners and managers who are involved in the practice of delivering care, and it will assist them to challenge the punitive and hurtful strategies of neoliberal rationalisation. The critical theoretical focus of the book has significance beyond social work, including nursing, psychology, medicine, allied health and criminal justice.

Changes in ideas about welfare have required caring professions to adapt their practices in ways which challenge their underlying values and their relationships with service users. This book examines the implications of such changes.

Social work is rooted in the values of service, social justice, and strong interpersonal relationships, but as the profession evolves, so must the approach to education. Michael E. Sherr and Johnny M. Jones have created an introductory textbook written for the future of social work. The second edition integrates the knowledge of practice, policy, research, HBSE, and field work with the skills and practice behaviors necessary for students to become fully competent social workers by the time they graduate. Students are introduced to social work through a "Why We Do, What We Do" model that emphasizes how and why social workers commit to their careers. 41 case vignettes, 16 of which are new, engage students and present a clear picture of the profession to help them become invested in enhancing and restoring the well-being of individuals, groups, and communities. Visit www.oup-arc.com for student and instructor resources.

This book trains students of the caring professions, across health and social care, in the basic philosophical skills and knowledge needed to deal with the ethical aspects of their profession. It shows why ethical education is required, and teaches the skills of reasoning that equip professionals to think critically about the theories and arguments used in ethical discussions. It demonstrates how we can be confident that we can rely on common moral ground; but it also points out how we need to recognise the influence of different world-views, and to note how, on some issues, these can lead us in starkly different directions. It explains relevant philosophical theories, and evaluates their strengths and weaknesses – particularly in relation to what is required for proper professional ethics. It shows how to employ the commonly accepted framework of four ethical principles – beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. These various matters are then illustrated in two extended case studies, which focus on the problem of euthanasia, and the question of screening for disability and the value of human life. Ethical Basics for the Caring Professions is designed for use on all health and social care and human services courses on ethics and values. It will also be of interest to academics and professionals working within these fields.

This book offers a comprehensive evaluation of community care strategies within the context of government social policy, and assesses the recent shifts of political power from Conservative to Labour towards the end of the century. Unlike the majority of texts in the field of community care, it makes explicit the historical, philosophical, social and political inter-connections, and therefore provides an in-depth understanding of changing policy issues for students, practicioners and managers in health and social care.

Care-giving transcends race, gender and age and most people will be a care giver or receiver (often both) at some point in their lives. This book explores the extent of caregiving in the UK and discusses its impact on individuals, groups and communities, as well as health and social care professionals. It covers ways of identifying carers and providing information and advice and, given the likelihood of practitioners themselves providing care, a discussion regarding maintaining resilience and the extent to which personal experiences guide and inform practitioners response to work with carers is included. Exercises allow the reader to explore ways practitioners can engage with and support carers. The recent legislative changes brought about by the Care Act 2014 is discussed, as well as relevant policies. Caregiving has the potential to transcend disciplines, so this text will appeal to students of a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and across the professional arena including social work, nursing, occupational and physiotherapy. The author is donating her royalties on this book to Carers UK and Carers Trust.

Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health was released in September 2019, before the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Improving social conditions remains critical to improving health outcomes, and integrating social care into health care delivery is more relevant than ever in the context of the pandemic and increased strains placed on the U.S. health care system. The report and its related products ultimately aim to help improve health and health equity, during COVID-19 and beyond. The consistent and compelling evidence on how social determinants shape health has led to a growing recognition throughout the health care sector that improving health and health equity is likely to depend â€" at least in part â€" on mitigating adverse social determinants. This recognition has been bolstered by a shift in the health care sector towards value-based payment, which incentivizes improved health outcomes for persons and populations rather than service delivery alone. The combined result of these changes has been a growing emphasis on health care systems addressing patients' social risk factors and social needs with the aim of improving health outcomes. This may involve health care systems linking individual patients with government and community social services, but important questions need to be answered about when and how health care systems should integrate social care into their practices and what kinds of infrastructure are required to facilitate such activities. Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation's Health examines the potential for integrating services addressing social needs and the social determinants of health into the delivery of health care to achieve better health outcomes. This report assesses approaches to social care integration currently being taken by health care providers and systems, and new or emerging approaches and opportunities; current roles in such integration by different disciplines and organizations, and new or emerging roles and types of providers; and current and emerging efforts to design health care systems to improve the nation's health and reduce health inequities.