This exciting new book provides an overview of fifteen different contemporary social work practice settings, spanning across the statutory, voluntary, private and third sectors. It serves as the perfect introduction to the various roles social workers can have and the numerous places they can work, equipping students with the knowledge, skills and values required to work in areas ranging from mental health to fostering and adoption, and from alcohol and drug treatment services to youth offending. Each chapter provides: An overview of the setting, including the role of the social worker, how service users gain access to the service and key issues, definitions or terms specific to the setting Legislation and policy guidance related to the specific setting The key theories and methods related to the setting Best practice approaches and the benefits and challenges of working within the setting Case examples illustrating the application of the information to practice Social work students will find this an invaluable handbook that they will refer to time and again throughout their education and into their assessed and supported year of employment. Contributors: Mark Baldwin, Jo Bell, Jenny Clifford, Jill Chonody, Clare Evans, Benedict Fell, Alinka Gearon, Issy Harvey, Caroline Hickman, Tony Jeffs, Debbie Martin, Malcolm Payne, Justin Rogers, Sue Taplin, Barbra Teater, John Watson, Michele Winter. "It is an excellent student introduction to this diverse profession. Full of information that provides a thought provoking read." Andrew Ellery, Social Care Professional "This book really is an excellent resource for social work students at an introductory level and for preparation for placement levels. It provides a comprehensive overview of a range of service user groups as well as specific issues such as domestic violence, homelessness and substance use. Each section is structured around the policy and legislative context and includes comment on theory, challenges and anti-oppressive practice with case examples to aid learning. The focus on the settings within which social work is practiced is particularly welcome and provides an essential companion to introductory books which look more at values, professional behaviour and skills. The range of different settings covered provides excellent preparation for students about to start a placement. The sections on rehabilitation of offenders and self-harm highlight topics that are often given less attention but may well be encountered by students on placement. I will certainly be including this book as essential reading for students on introductory and practice preparation modules." Allan Rose, Social Work Lecturer, Brunel University, UK

Without a doubt, structural and institutionalised racism is still present in Britain and Europe, a factor that social work education and training has been slow to acknowledge. In this timely new book, Lavalette and Penketh reveal that racism towards Britain’s minority ethnic groups has undergone a process of change. They affirm the importance of social work to address issues of ‘race’ and racism in education and training by presenting a critical review of a this demanding aspect of social work practice. Original in its approach, and with diverse perspectives from key practitioners in the field, the authors examine contemporary anti-racism, including racism towards Eastern European migrants, Roma people and asylum seekers. It also considers the implications of contemporary racism for current practice. This is essential reading for anyone academically or professionally interested in social work, and the developments in this field of study post 9/11.

This best-selling text emphasizes that social and cultural changes are the pervasive realities of our era. One of the main themes of Contemporary Society is that the transition from an industrial to a post-industrial order in the modern world is fraught with difficulties, as was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial order in an earlier era. Within this framework, we can observe the increasing fragmentation of the social order, which tends to lead people away from community and a common purpose and often invites conflict and disunity. At the same time, countervailing social forces are also at work, providing some stability, some shelter in the storm. Finally, societies are faced with the rapid and transformative power of information technology, a fact that propels separate groups of people into a global entity.

How can mainstream Western social work learn from and in turn help advance indigenous practice? This volume brings together prominent international scholars involved in both Western and indigenous social work across the globe - including James Midgley, Linda Briskman, Alean Al-Krenawi and John R. Graham - to discuss some of the most significant global trends and issues relating to indigenous and cross-cultural social work. The contributors identify ways in which indigenization is shaping professional social work practice and education, and examine how social work can better address diversity in international exchanges and cross-cultural issues within and between countries. Key theoretical, methodological and service issues and challenges in the indigenization of social work are reviewed, including the way in which adaptation can lead to more effective practices within indigenous communities and emerging economies, and how adaptation can provide greater insight into cross-cultural understanding and practice.

This book will help students develop their understanding of how the internet is impacting on social work education and practice in 21st century. Essential reading for students interested in the influence of digital technology and social media, including the impact of digital divides, this book looks at how the value-base of social work can have a positive effect on service users and carers who engage with digital services.

Global social work: crossing borders, blurring boundaries is a collection of ideas, debates and reflections on key issues concerning social work as a global profession, such as its theory, its curricula, its practice, its professional identity; its concern with human rights and social activism, and its future directions. Apart from emphasising the complexities of working and talking about social work across borders and cultures, the volume focuses on the curricula of social work programs from as many regions as possible to showcase what is being taught in various cultural, sociopolitical and regional contexts. Exploring the similarities and differences in social work education across many countries of the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Pacific, the book provides a reference point for moving the current social work discourse towards understanding the local and global context in its broader significance.

This vivid memoir captures how race, class, and privilege shaped a white boy’s coming of age in 1970s New York—now with a new epilogue. “I am not your typical middle-class white male,” begins Dalton Conley’s Honky, an intensely engaging memoir of growing up amid predominantly African American and Latino housing projects on New York’s Lower East Side. In narrating these sharply observed memories, from his little sister’s burning desire for cornrows to the shooting of a close childhood friend, Conley shows how race and class inextricably shaped his life—as well as the lives of his schoolmates and neighbors. In a new afterword, Conley, now a well-established senior sociologist, provides an update on what his informants’ respective trajectories tell us about race and class in the city. He further reflects on how urban areas have (and haven’t) changed over the past few decades, including the stubborn resilience of poverty in New York. At once a gripping coming-of-age story and a brilliant case study illuminating broader inequalities in American society, Honky guides us to a deeper understanding of the cultural capital of whiteness, the social construction of race, and the intricacies of upward mobility.

Social Work and Social Welfare: An Invitation is a nationally recognized, best-selling text and unique website for US Introductory Social Work and Social Welfare courses. It provides students with the knowledge, skills, and values that are essential for working with individuals, families, groups, organizations, communities, and public policy in a variety of practice settings. This new third edition is an up-to-date profile of the world in which today’s social workers practice, with current demographic, statistical, legislative, policy, and research information; sensitive discussions of contemporary ethical issues; and new first-person narratives from social workers in a variety of fields. The call to become engaged in some of society’s most challenging issues is clearer than in previous editions.

Sexuality and sexual identity have been relatively marginalized areas in both social work education and practice. However, changes in policy and legislation in the UK and other countries over the past decade have brought discussions of sexuality into the mainstream public service agenda. In social work and social care, gay and lesbian citizenship rights have been explicitly recognised. In the fields of adoption and fostering new regulations and guidance have helped improve and develop practice around assessment and intervention. It remains the case, however, that sex is often perceived as a problem area within social work and social care, discussed only in relation to sexually diverse communities or in the realm of dysfunction or pathology. This collection aims to generate a more proactive and challenging discussion of sexuality and sexual identity in social work. Its starting point is that sexuality is an essential aspect of individual identity, that users must be able to express their sexuality, and that it is essential for social workers to be able to respond and discuss sexual issues appropriately. The contributions are informed by feminist research, considering, in particular, the experiences of women working in and using social care services since the 1990s. In addition to a consideration of the wider policy, legislative and service providers' perspectives, the book includes reflective accounts as well as research-led contributions, offering a comprehensive and balanced account of this important field, which aims to inform both theory and practice.

Social Work Ethics in a Changing Society analyzes the challenges social workers face in applying social work values and ethics due to recent significant social, political, cultural, and technological changes. It provides readers with guidelines for ethical practice based on a philosophic foundation rooted in social justice principles. The book begins with a summary of key ethical concepts and principles. It then provides a brief history of social work ethics and analyzes their core assumptions in the context of new realities. The book provides readers with several frameworks through which to analyze a variety of contemporary ethical issues. In subsequent chapters, it applies these frameworks to situations largely derived from real world experience. Global sources provide a comparative perspective on the interpretation and implementation of social work values and ethics. The book contains extensive case examples and reflection exercises that illustrate ethical dilemmas in all areas of practice and those created or complicated by increasing social and cultural diversity. It includes content on the application of ethics to policy practice through examples drawn from the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic, and other current policy issues. Designed to help current and future social workers navigate a fractious, ever-evolving society, Social Work Ethics in a Changing Society is an excellent resource for students, faculty, and practitioners within the discipline.