Margaret Alston – författare

Research for Social Workers has built a strong reputation as an accessible guide to the key research methods and approaches used in the discipline. Ideal for beginners, the book outlines the importance of social work research, its guiding principles and explains how to choose a topic area, develop research questions together with describing the key steps in the research process. The authors outline the principles of sampling, systematic reviews and surveys and interviews, provide guidance on evaluation and statistical analysis and explain how research can influence policy and practice. This new edition includes:• an expanded discussion of rigour in qualitative research• more detailed analysis of systematic reviews • a new section on on-line surveys • enhanced examination of action research including recent examples of action research programsand• an expanded section on evidence-based practice.Featuring practical examples and end-of-chapter exercises and questions, and using non-technical language throughout, this is a vital reference tool for both students and practicing social workers.

Research for Social Workers has built a strong reputation as an accessible guide to the key research methods and approaches used in the discipline. Ideal for beginners, the book outlines the importance of social work research, its guiding principles and explains how to choose a topic area, develop research questions together with describing the key steps in the research process. The authors outline the principles of sampling, systematic reviews and surveys and interviews, provide guidance on evaluation and statistical analysis and explain how research can influence policy and practice. This new edition includes:• an expanded discussion of rigour in qualitative research• more detailed analysis of systematic reviews • a new section on on-line surveys • enhanced examination of action research including recent examples of action research programsand• an expanded section on evidence-based practice.Featuring practical examples and end-of-chapter exercises and questions, and using non-technical language throughout, this is a vital reference tool for both students and practicing social workers.

International in scope, the Handbook outlines the foundational concepts and ethical constructs of social work research methods before analysing them through a variety of theoretical lenses, including feminism, queer theory, social justice and radicalism. It assesses effective methods and methodologies in practice, examining quantitative, mixed methods, documentary and active participatory approaches. Contributing authors consider social work research in complex situations and discuss the compound ethical challenges facing such projects, proposing key areas for development in this field such as the use of critical reflection, greater understanding of the ever-present power imbalance, and the social worker as practical researcher.

The Handbook of Research Methods in Social Work is a vital resource for students and academics specialising in qualitative and quantitative research methods in social work, sociology and social policy. Its assessment of real-life social work projects makes it an invaluable reference for professionals and policymakers operating in the social work setting.

This handbook addresses the diversity and complexity of social work practice in the context of disasters. Drawing on international perspectives, with the inclusion of case studies, this handbook provides a resource for students, practitioners, educators, and researchers seeking to prepare the social work profession for contemporary challenges associated with disasters.

Divided into five parts, it explores the following subject areas:

1. Conceptual aspects concerning social work’s relationship with disasters

2. Social work’s role in preventing and preparing for disasters, and response and recovery

3. Social work practice with specific populations

4. Social work education and training in disasters

5. Implications for social work organisations and policy

Leading ideas, debates, and approaches from international authors will provide Global North and South perspectives. A critical examination of research and theories for practice, including concepts of human vulnerability and community resilience, will provide the foundation for detailing the practical contributions that social workers can make at the micro, meso, and macro levels of practice. Social work’s underpinning value base of social justice and human rights will also be explored in the context of the complex and dynamic nature of socio-cultural, political, and economic dimensions pertaining to disasters.

It will therefore be of interest to all social work students, academics, and professionals as well as those working in allied disciplines, policy, and emergency management roles.

This handbook addresses the diversity and complexity of social work practice in the context of disasters. Drawing on international perspectives, with the inclusion of case studies, this handbook provides a resource for students, practitioners, educators, and researchers seeking to prepare the social work profession for contemporary challenges associated with disasters.

Divided into five parts, it explores the following subject areas:

1. Conceptual aspects concerning social work’s relationship with disasters

2. Social work’s role in preventing and preparing for disasters, and response and recovery

3. Social work practice with specific populations

4. Social work education and training in disasters

5. Implications for social work organisations and policy

Leading ideas, debates, and approaches from international authors will provide Global North and South perspectives. A critical examination of research and theories for practice, including concepts of human vulnerability and community resilience, will provide the foundation for detailing the practical contributions that social workers can make at the micro, meso, and macro levels of practice. Social work’s underpinning value base of social justice and human rights will also be explored in the context of the complex and dynamic nature of socio-cultural, political, and economic dimensions pertaining to disasters.

It will therefore be of interest to all social work students, academics, and professionals as well as those working in allied disciplines, policy, and emergency management roles.

Research in the humanities and social sciences thrives on critical reflections that unfold with each research project, not only in terms of knowledge created, but in whether chosen methodologies served their purpose. Ethics forms the bulwark of any social science research methodology and it requires continuous engagement and reengagement for the greater advancement of knowledge. Each chapter in this book will draw from the empirical knowledge created through intensive fieldwork and provide an account of ethical questions faced by the contributors, placing them in the context of contemporary debates surrounding the theory and practice of ethics. The chapters have been thematically organized into five sections: Feminist Ethics: Cross-Cultural Reflections and Its Implications for Change; Researching Physical and Sexual Violence in Non-Academic Settings: A Need for Ethical Protocols; Human Agency, Reciprocity, Participation and Activism: Meanings for Social Science Research Ethics; Emotions, Conflict and Dangerous Fields: Issues of “Safety” and Reflective Research; and Social Science Education: Training in Ethics or “Ethical Training” and “Ethical Publicizing." This inter-disciplinary volume will interest students and researchers in academic and non-academic settings in core disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology, Law, Political Science, International Relations, Geography, or inter-disciplinary degrees in Development Studies, Health Studies, Public Health Policy, Social Policy, Health Policy, Psychology, Peace and Conflict studies, and Gender Studies. The book features a foreword by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Research in the humanities and social sciences thrives on critical reflections that unfold with each research project, not only in terms of knowledge created, but in whether chosen methodologies served their purpose. Ethics forms the bulwark of any social science research methodology and it requires continuous engagement and reengagement for the greater advancement of knowledge. Each chapter in this book will draw from the empirical knowledge created through intensive fieldwork and provide an account of ethical questions faced by the contributors, placing them in the context of contemporary debates surrounding the theory and practice of ethics. The chapters have been thematically organized into five sections: Feminist Ethics: Cross-Cultural Reflections and Its Implications for Change; Researching Physical and Sexual Violence in Non-Academic Settings: A Need for Ethical Protocols; Human Agency, Reciprocity, Participation and Activism: Meanings for Social Science Research Ethics; Emotions, Conflict and Dangerous Fields: Issues of “Safety” and Reflective Research; and Social Science Education: Training in Ethics or “Ethical Training” and “Ethical Publicizing." This inter-disciplinary volume will interest students and researchers in academic and non-academic settings in core disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology, Law, Political Science, International Relations, Geography, or inter-disciplinary degrees in Development Studies, Health Studies, Public Health Policy, Social Policy, Health Policy, Psychology, Peace and Conflict studies, and Gender Studies. The book features a foreword by His Holiness The Dalai Lama.

Disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity across the world, causing significant destruction to individuals and communities. Yet many social workers are ill-prepared for the demands of this field of practice. This book discusses the role of social workers in disaster work, including in disaster-preparedness, during the disaster and in post-disaster practice.

It addresses the complexities of social work disaster practice, noting the need for social workers to understand the language of trauma and to respond effectively. The authors discuss disaster theory and practice, drawing out elements of practice at macro-, meso- and micro-levels and at various stages of the disaster. They examine the factors that shape vulnerability in disasters and draw out the possibility of post-traumatic growth. The final section discusses strategies for self-care in disaster practice, noting the organisational and personal strategies that can be adopted to facilitate the wellbeing of workers in the field.

With real-life case studies from top scholars in the field, this book is essential reading for social work practitioners working in the field of disaster practice, as well as social work students and academics. It will also be useful to other health professionals who wish to understand this field of practice.