Dr David Wilkins is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK.

The ability to analyse contexts, scenarios and service users through a critical lens is vital to effective social work practice. Despite this, many social workers attempt to analyse situations alone, missing marks of significance.

This book, written by two senior academics and practitioners who, at the time, were in the midst of their PhDs, offers a basis step-by-step model that busy social workers can use to develop a more critical and analytical mindset. It shows how analysis can be woven throughout the whole process of social work engagement, resulting in more effective decision-making, more efficient ways of working and, ultimately, better outcomes for social work service users. This is achieved by ways of handy tools, case studies and dilemmas, research summaries, and exercises and reflections points to tackle alone or with a colleague.

Topics covered include:

• What analysis is, and why it is such an important skill in social work practice.
• The skills that underpin critical analysis, such as time management, planning, critical understanding, logical thinking, research-mindedness, creativity, communication, reflection and hypothesising.
• The role of emotion and intuition in critical analysis.
• The importance of supervision and team or supervised analysis.

Dr David Wilkins is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK.

The ability to analyse contexts, scenarios and service users through a critical lens is vital to effective social work practice. Despite this, many social workers attempt to analyse situations alone, missing marks of significance.

This book, written by two senior academics and practitioners who, at the time, were in the midst of their PhDs, offers a basis step-by-step model that busy social workers can use to develop a more critical and analytical mindset. It shows how analysis can be woven throughout the whole process of social work engagement, resulting in more effective decision-making, more efficient ways of working and, ultimately, better outcomes for social work service users. This is achieved by ways of handy tools, case studies and dilemmas, research summaries, and exercises and reflections points to tackle alone or with a colleague.

Topics covered include:

• What analysis is, and why it is such an important skill in social work practice.
• The skills that underpin critical analysis, such as time management, planning, critical understanding, logical thinking, research-mindedness, creativity, communication, reflection and hypothesising.
• The role of emotion and intuition in critical analysis.
• The importance of supervision and team or supervised analysis.

Dr David Wilkins is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, UK.

Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK.

The ability to analyse contexts, scenarios and service users through a critical lens is vital to effective social work practice. Despite this, many social workers attempt to analyse situations alone, missing marks of significance.

This book, written by two senior academics and practitioners who, at the time, were in the midst of their PhDs, offers a basis step-by-step model that busy social workers can use to develop a more critical and analytical mindset. It shows how analysis can be woven throughout the whole process of social work engagement, resulting in more effective decision-making, more efficient ways of working and, ultimately, better outcomes for social work service users. This is achieved by ways of handy tools, case studies and dilemmas, research summaries, and exercises and reflections points to tackle alone or with a colleague.

Topics covered include:

• What analysis is, and why it is such an important skill in social work practice.
• The skills that underpin critical analysis, such as time management, planning, critical understanding, logical thinking, research-mindedness, creativity, communication, reflection and hypothesising.
• The role of emotion and intuition in critical analysis.
• The importance of supervision and team or supervised analysis.