Essential Theory for Social Work Practice

Chris Beckett studied Psychology at Bristol University and qualified as a social worker at Bangor, North Wales, in 1980, going on to work for eighteen years as a social worker and social work manager, and then for fifteen years as a social work lecturer at Anglia Ruskin University and the University of East Anglia. He has had a parallel career for some time as a writer of fiction and is now a full-time writer. His novel, Dark Eden was the winner of the Arthur C. Clarke award for 2012.Nigel Horner is Head of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln, where he teaches social work history, theory and methods, residential child care and ageing and older people. He began working in a London Borough Children’s Home in 1972, before studying Sociology at Durham University. After a period as a Community Worker, he qualified in Social Work from Glasgow University in 1980, and thereafter worked in Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Fostering and Youth Offending settings. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy.

This book has many strengths and is highly recommended for those interested in social work. Firstly, it is written in a fluent and straightforward manner, making it easy for readers to understand the essential elements of social work and the relationship between theory and practice. Secondly, the authors re-examine the multiple roles of social workers, especially their control agent roles, offering a new perspective on social work’s function in advocacy and empowerment. Instead of solely performing the traditional role of caring, social work is urged to recognise its power and use itappropriately. The authors also establish theoretical connections among the past, the present and the future, inspiring readers to reflect on the development of social work in a global context. Lastly, the book includes various exercises and practice notes that are helpful for both social work teachers and students. It is an accessible resource for understanding social work and enhancing reflective and critical thinking. The book sheds light on the challenges of professional development faced by social work and reminds us of the importance of locating its identity in modern society amidst rapid changes in a vast policy agenda.

• What This Book is AboutChapter 1: Introduction and Using This BookChapter 2: What Do We Mean by Social Work Theory?Chapter 3: The Use and Abuse of TheorySocial Work RolesChapter 4: The Roles We PlayChapter 5: Relationship-Based WorkChapter 6: The Use of Authority and PowerChapter 7: Advocacy and EmpowermentChapter 8: Working with Others: Working in a TeamChapter 9: Environmental InterventionPast, Present and FutureChapter 10: Which Way to Look?Chapter 11: The Power of the PastChapter 12: Searching the PresentChapter 13: Exploring the FutureChapter 14: The Importance of LanguageChapter 15: Working with People towards becoming UnstuckThe Wider ContextChapter 16: Systems and System LevelsChapter 17: Families as SystemsChapter 18: Groups and CommunitiesChapter 19: Political PerspectivesIt’s All Very Well in Theory...Chapter 20: The Question of Evidence and the Problem of UncertaintyChapter 21: Talk and SubstanceChapter 22: The Limits of TheoryChapter 23: Current Contexts and Contemporary Models of Social Work Practice