"This book is an indispensable and uniquely placed resource for any social work student daunted by the prospect of the dissertation, or indeed for practitioners who are starting out in research. Malcolm Carey has managed the difficult task of producing a guide which is not only accessible and full of practicable advice, but is also grounded in theory and strongly informed by social work values. As a social work PhD student, I would highly recommend this book to fellow students at all levels of qualification." Hannah Jobber, PhD student, University of York, UK "Malcolm Carey has written an excellent second edition. It combines discussion of theoretical issues with practical guidance, supported with clear examples. It achieves a rare balance of conceptual sophistication combined with the provision of down-to-earth advice. Students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels will find it answers the majority of their questions about how to do a dissertation in a very clear and accessible way." Professor Steven M Shardlow, The University of Salford, UK and Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Social Work "I have recommended the first edition of this book to undergraduate and postgraduate students undertaking dissertations and I will definitely be recommending this 2nd edition. It is a very clearly written and accessible guide to the process of writing a research-based dissertation from first thoughts through to final writing up. The book is well laid out with excellent summaries of key points in table form. Carey takes the student through the research process discussing the importance of the different stages in contributing to the dissertation as a whole. This new edition has been updated to take account of new areas such as the growth of systematic reviews and remains an excellent sourcebook for students and anyone taking their first steps in undertaking research." David Saltiel, Lecturer in Social Work, School of Healthcare, University of Leeds, UK "This book conveys complex information pertaining to research in a clear and accessible way… this is a comprehensive guide which is easy to follow." Val Sylvester, Senior Lecturer, The School of Health and Social Care, Birmingham City University, UK Research is now identified as comprising an integral part of everyday practice within health and social care. The second edition of this popular book equips students and practitioners within social work with the skills and knowledge to effectively undertake research and complete their dissertation. Written in a clear and straight forward way, the book demystifies tasks which may at first seem difficult, such as the literature review or interviews with practitioners, and clarifies the research process by providing a straightforward guide to the basics. Topics include: Deciding a topic Setting a research question and clear objectives The stages followed whilst completing a dissertation How to undertake a literature review Analysis and writing up Ethical issues This new edition has been fully updated to include more guidance on doing a literature review and literature based research, how the internet can be used to undertake research and more details of ethics and writing up. This book provides an essential guidebook to qualitative research methodology for social work students and practitioners.

The book guides the student through the research process relevant to the completion of a social work dissertation, examining the process of both empirical and literature based dissertations, highlighting potential obstacles, essential techniques and methods involved in research.

Malcolm Carey provides social work students, academics and practitioners with a practical guide to completion of a small-scale qualitative research project or dissertation. This clear text takes the reader through the process of beginning and developing a research problem or question, defining their objectives and undertaking empirical or literature-based research that involves data collection, analysis, writing up and dissemination. The book also highlights and details potential obstacles, essential techniques and methods, types of theory and methodology used, and presents case studies and ongoing debates involved in qualitative social work research. It suggests ways by which sometimes difficult processes (such as the literature review, interviews with practitioners, etc.) can be made easier to complete and explores traditional methods such as the focus group or interview alongside less conventional methodologies such as participative, narrative, discourse or ICT-related approaches. Recent investigation has highlighted the lack of research skills held by many social workers in practice. This book overcomes these problems by providing an essential and easily accessible guidebook to qualitative research methods for social work students and practitioners as well as being of interest to tutors who teach research methods to social work students or supervise dissertations.

The Social Work Assignments Handbook is the complete guide to preparing for, carrying out and writing up a social work assignment or project. Designed to support students through their assignments from beginning to end, each stage is fully explained through friendly advice and practical guidance so that students can feel confident in their work, whether they’re writing up quantitative research findings or carrying out a literature review.

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.

Evaluation is not a self-contained phase of social work practice - one more dimension of the process - but a dimension of every phase. In this fully rewritten and updated second edition of his groundbreaking text Evaluating in Practice, Ian Shaw demonstrates how evaluation and inquiry are just as much practice tasks as planning, intervention and review. By demonstrating that good evaluating in practice helps sustain a commitment to evidence, understanding and justice, Shaw shows that for this to be achieved, evaluating in practice must permeate every aspect of social work. He: 1. Develops a framework for embedding evaluation and inquiry as a dimension of good practice in social work. 2. Demonstrates the central significance of a 'methodological practice' in social work that adapts, infuses, and translates social research methods as a dimension of the different aspects of social work, viz. assessment, planning, intervention, review and outcomes. 3. Facilitates good practice by exemplifying the argument through extensive worked examples and exercises. This book has much to say about the demanding skills that are necessary to achieve this shaping of practice and is a must-read for any social work student or practitioner.

The Routledge Handbook of Social Work Theory provides an interdisciplinary and international introduction to social work theory. It presents an analytical review of the wide array of theoretical ideas that influence social work on a global scale. It sets the agenda for future trends within social work theory. Separated into four parts, this handbook examines important themes within the discourses on social work theory, as well as offering a critical evaluation of how theoretical ideas influence social work as a profession and in practice. It includes a diverse range of interdisciplinary topics, covering the aims and nature of social work, social work values and ethics, social work practice theories and the use of theory in different fields of practice. The contributors show how and why theory is so important to social work and analyze the impact these concepts have made on social intervention. Bringing together an international team of leading academics within the social work field and newer contributors close to practice, this handbook is essential reading for all those studying social work, as well as practitioners, policymakers and those involved in the associated fields of health and social care.

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.

This workbook provides ideal preparation for students wanting to become self aware and self evaluative before moving into practice for the first time.

Playwork Practice at the Margins explores the circumstances where playwork practice intersects with practice from diverse contexts and settings, encompassing disciplines such as health, education, early intervention and community development. Each chapter focuses on a research project situated in a unique setting or space such as zoos, hospitals, refuges and rainforests. In these settings, the authors reflect on Playwork Principles and consider these in relation to the theory, research, design and findings of their project. By presenting research from settings at the margins of traditional playwork, the authors use shared values and principles to consider the significance of playwork when embedded in transdisciplinary work. The book is underpinned by a model of reflective thinking that is used to examine how playwork practice is intertwined with knowledge from other disciplines. With a range of international contributions from both researchers and practitioners, this is the ideal text for academics and researchers in the fields of early childhood education, allied health, community development and social work disciplines as well as human geographers and practitioners in children’s services worldwide.