Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook Book

Written by an academic-practitioner, this text provides a detailed description of over fifty social work skills, with case examples of their creative use in evidence-based practice. The book takes as its starting point the view that social work is a skilled activity but one that is uniquely located in 'no-win' situations, caught in a tension between conflicting and sometimes incompatible needs and expectations. These tensions call for critical thinking and balanced and judicious decision-making across a range of fundamental issues, such as the rights of parents and the needs of the child; acknowledging the needs of carers alongside those of their 'dependents'; and weighing individual freedom against the risk to society. The ability to address often severe and enduring problems and complex situations requires social workers to have at their fingertips a 'toolbox' of practice skills in order to help people to move their lives forward. Giving a name to these skills and being able to identify and demonstrate their effective use in evidence-based practice is a central theme of this text and one which provides an important and timely contribution to the literature on social work theory and practice. The handbook is essential reading for all social work students, and a valuable reference resource for practicing social workers and human service professionals.Read More