Social workers must develop a sensitive yet informed approach when working with service users from different social and cultural groups. In many aspects of life, including accessing human services, people are marginalised, ignored, stigmatised or discriminated against because of one or more aspects of their identity: age, sexual orientation, faith or belief, gender, race or ethnicity, social class, and disability. This book acts as a guide for students to develop their understanding of these various groups while illustrating how the social work value base can be a central part of such understanding.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

Health services practice or working with clients facing health issues requires diverse approaches and wide-ranging knowledge. In this ground-breaking book Melissa Petrakis draws on the experience and expertise of leading researchers and practitioners to provide a guide to the disparate settings in which social workers are engaged and the conceptual frameworks and skills needed for effective practice. The book begins by examining the nature of health social work and considers its core values and principles. This section also provides an overview of the social determinants of health. Part 2 explores key areas of practice including working with children, mothers and families, hospital-based social work, domestic and family violence, mental health, dual diagnosis, forensic social work, Indigenous approaches to health, oncology and aged care. Part 3 looks at politicised issues in the field including working with people living with disability, refugee health and concludes by considering how a focus on well-being informed by Maori approaches could provide new insights into better practice. Underpinning the book throughout is a clear guide to assessment procedures, case management, strengths-based practices and developing effective partnerships and collaboration. Social Work Practice in Health is destined to become a key reference tool for social work students and practitioners, providing practical, evidence-based and insightful approaches.

What impact can social work make on inequalities in health? Social Work, Health and Equality opens up a new direction in the practice and theory of social work. Focussing on the profound human suffering which arises from social inequalities in health, it: * shows how social work can make a significant contribution to creating more equal experiences of health and illness * describes the major shifts in conceptualisation, practice and organisation necessary to bring about change. The authors explore these questions in relation to four key aspects of health; health maintenance, illness at home, hospitalisation, and facing death. Grounding the text in everyday lived experience, they show how social work must change its discourse and its practice if it is to respond effectively to the challenges of its new role in tackling health issues.

The mission of the social work profession and the development of social policy are rooted in a set of core values and are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective. Human rights offer a normative base for social work and for the formation of inclusive social policies. This informative and incisively written edited collection brings together experts from around the world to explore the tension between a normative and a political base of social work and social development and, therefore, to address the question: How can social work and social policies contribute in the endeavor to respect, protect and fulfill human rights? This volume will show that there is no straightforward answer to this question owing to the clash between different sociocultural and local conditions and demands for universal human rights.

Social justice is a contested term, incorporated into the language of widely differing political positions. Those on the left argue that it requires intervention from the state to ensure equality, at least of opportunity; those on the right believe that it can be underpinned by the economics of the market place with little or no state intervention. To date, political philosophers have made relatively few serious attempts to explain how a theory of social justice translates into public policy. This important book, drawing on international experience and a distinguished panel of political philosophers and social scientists, addresses what the meaning of social justice is, and how it translates into the everyday concerns of public and social policy, in the context of both multiculturalism and globalisation.

The decade ahead will test the nation's nearly 4 million nurses in new and complex ways. Nurses live and work at the intersection of health, education, and communities. Nurses work in a wide array of settings and practice at a range of professional levels. They are often the first and most frequent line of contact with people of all backgrounds and experiences seeking care and they represent the largest of the health care professions. A nation cannot fully thrive until everyone - no matter who they are, where they live, or how much money they make - can live their healthiest possible life, and helping people live their healthiest life is and has always been the essential role of nurses. Nurses have a critical role to play in achieving the goal of health equity, but they need robust education, supportive work environments, and autonomy. Accordingly, at the request of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on behalf of the National Academy of Medicine, an ad hoc committee under the auspices of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine conducted a study aimed at envisioning and charting a path forward for the nursing profession to help reduce inequities in people's ability to achieve their full health potential. The ultimate goal is the achievement of health equity in the United States built on strengthened nursing capacity and expertise. By leveraging these attributes, nursing will help to create and contribute comprehensively to equitable public health and health care systems that are designed to work for everyone. The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, utilizing technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030. This work builds on the foundation set out by The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2011) report.

The 11th edition of Social Work Speaks is a comprehensive and unabridged collection of policies adopted and revised by the NASW Delegate Assembly in 2017. The Delegate Assembly, NASW s key policymaking body, meets every three years. The policy statements set the parameters for NASW s positions and actions on a broad range of public policy and professional issues. This edition includes 24 updated policy statements on topics ranging from human trafficking and transgender and gender nonconforming people to immigrants and refugees. Social Work Speaks is a reference tool that represents the collective thinking of thousands of social workers across all fields of practice. This user-friendly resource can assist in developing organizational responses to policy issues, conducting policy analysis, and working in advocacy coalitions. Social Work Speaks is a first-rate introductory social policy text that will spark dynamic and valuable debates on public policy and the role of social work in leading change. Social workers who want to be informed and involved in policy analysis, advocacy for social policies, or the formulation of future policy statements will find the 11th edition of Social Work Speaks a useful resource. — back cover

The Handbook of Health Social Work provides a comprehensive and evidence-based overview of contemporary social work practice in health care. Written from a wellness perspective, the chapters cover the spectrum of health social work settings with contributions from a wide range of experts. The resulting resource offers both a foundation for social work practice in health care and a guide for strategy, policy, and program development in proactive and actionable terms. Three sections present the material: The Foundations of Social Work in Health Care provides information that is basic and central to the operations of social workers in health care, including conceptual underpinnings; the development of the profession; the wide array of roles performed by social workers in health care settings; ethical issues and decision - making in a variety of arenas; public health and social work; health policy and social work; and the understanding of community factors in health social work. Health Social Work Practice: A Spectrum of Critical Considerations delves into critical practice issues such as theories of health behavior; assessment; effective communication with both clients and other members of health care teams; intersections between health and mental health; the effects of religion and spirituality on health care; family and health; sexuality in health care; and substance abuse. Health Social Work: Selected Areas of Practice presents a range of examples of social work practice, including settings that involve older adults; nephrology; oncology; chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS; genetics; end of life care; pain management and palliative care; and alternative treatments and traditional healers. The first book of its kind to unite the entire body of health social work knowledge, the Handbook of Health Social Work is a must-read for social work educators, administrators, students, and practitioners.

This text broadly examines many important aspects of effective and affirming practice methods with the LGBTQ community, along with considering health, mental health, history, and policy factors. The content was written by social work scholars, educators, practitioners and students to reach across professions (e.g., social work, health, mental health) and across audiences (e.g., students, faculty, researchers, and practitioners).