Religion, Welfare, and Social Service Provision: Common Ground delves deeply into the partnerships forged between religious communities, government agencies and nonprofits to deliver social services to the needy. These pages offer a considered examination of how local faith entities have served those in their midst, and how the provision of those services has been impacted by evolving social policies. This foundational volume brings together the work of more than two dozen leading researchers, each providing long overdue scholarly inquiry into religiously affiliated helping and the many possibilities that it holds for effective cooperation.

Describes 250 occupations which cover approximately 107 million jobs.

Based on in-depth interviews with clergy and lay leaders in 251 congregations nationwide, this groundbreaking volume provides empirical data to social scientists, religious study scholars, and those involved in the debates over the role of faith-based organizations in social services.

Social workers and helping professionals serve many people who draw upon religion and spirituality to find meaning, thrive, and overcome oppression and obstacles in their lives. The third edition of Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice provides a comprehensive framework of values, knowledge, and skills for spiritually sensitive and culturally appropriate practice with diverse religious and non-religious clients. This classic text contains forty different case examples and stories that vividly illustrate the professional values and ethical principles that guide spiritually sensitive practice. Learning activities at the end of each chapter encourage readers' personal and professional development through self-reflection, dialogue, creative expression, outreach to the community, and skill application. The book also draws connections between spiritual and cultural diversity, gender, and LGBTQI issues. It introduces beliefs, values, and social welfare applications of Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous spiritual perspectives, Islam, Judaism, Existentialism, and Transpersonal and Deep Ecological Theories. Skills for spiritual assessment and spiritually sensitive practices include mindfulness, meditation, ritual and ceremony, forgiveness, spiritually sensitive administration, and engagement with community-based spiritual support systems. For social workers and other professional helpers committed to supporting the spiritual care of individuals, families, and communities, this definitive guide offers state-of-the-art interdisciplinary and international insights as well as practical tools that students and practitioners alike can put to immediate use.

Jesus Christ: The Ultimate Social Worker, A 31-Day Devotional for Social Workers, focuses on the Lord's work with human beings as shown in the Gospel of Luke. Luke, being a physician, depicts Jesus' "human touch" on those to whom He ministered. We see this as He feeds the multitudes, heals the sick, and encourages the brokenhearted. Luke shows Jesus' devotion and attention to the natural needs of mankind, making Him the ultimate social worker. Although this book is geared for social workers, it can be used in paraprofessional work and executive director responsibilities in social support organizations all over the world. It is the Christian's job to show the love of Jesus at every level of this work. This book shows us how to do this as we will see Jesus manifesting love and kindness by meeting the basic needs of those who come to Him for help. This book will allow you to understand practical ways of sharing God's love as you work with your clients and your co-workers. By observing how Jesus is concerned with the everyday needs of the poor, sick, and mentally ill, you will be able to emulate His techniques and assist your clients in ways that are lasting and empowering. This thirty-one-day devotional will guide you through each chapter of the Gospel of Luke. You will be asked questions regarding how you measure up in situations similar to those demonstrated in the passages. You will then be asked to create a prayer to assist you in being able to perform as Jesus did in the designated reading. By the end of the thirty-one days, it is my prayer that you will have the ability to excel in social work in ways you did not see possible. In doing so, you will be resembling Jesus Christ: The Ultimate Social Worker.

In the early 1980s in Britain the organisation of the personal social services had come under increasingly critical scrutiny. The establishment of large social services departments following re-organisation in the early 1970s had led, some argued, to the emergence of services which all too often were over-centralised, fragmented and crisis-oriented in their approach. In attempts to break out of this reactive system and to fashion services which were more coherent and preventive, a growing number of field teams within the departments had begun to adopt community-oriented patterns of organisation. Originally published in 1984, this book based on an eighteen-month study of the area team at Normanton (Wakefield MDC), which incorporated social workers, ancillaries, and domiciliary staff in neighbourhood sub-teams, offered the first systematic account of the operation of this new approach. The authors examine how referrals and long-term work are handled, describe the management of the team, and consider the views of workers, users and the staff of other agencies. While giving a clear picture of the difficulties faced in adopting a community-centred approach the book provides convincing evidence of its potential to create more responsive and effective services based on better knowledge of the population served, easier access to the team, broader staff roles, and the active encouragement of local community initiatives. The most comprehensive account of an area team so far published, this book would be essential reading for all those concerned to improve the performance of the personal social services at the time. It would be of particular importance to councillors, managers and planners, to social workers and other field staff in social services departments, and to teachers and students of social work.