Sarah Matthews – författare

Social work practice in the twenty-first century is continually changing. Contemporary practitioners work in complex areas and have to do so quickly and competently. This text helps qualified social workers, as well as those about to qualify, to build on their initial studies in order to develop professionally.The volume considers not just what you need to know to practice, but how you develop in criticality and capability – in particular, how you can respond effectively in times of uncertainty and change to become more effective. It examines new roles, identities and contexts, including some international perspectives and the impact of globalisation. Each chapter discusses the contexts of practice (such as law, policies and theories); the contributions made both by those who practice social work and those who use its services; and the capabilities and skills that social workers need to develop in order to deal with complexity in social work. Making use of The Open University’s expertise in providing cutting edge but accessible course materials and its distinct approach to social work practice, this textbook includes underpinning knowledge, practical applications and critical reflexivity. It includes questions for further reflection and application , plentiful examples and suggestions for further reading.Aimed at the newly qualified practitioner and the developing professional, Professional Development in Social Work is written by a team of authors with extensive practice and teaching experience. It will be particularly useful to students undertaking post-qualifying training or in the final year of their qualifying studies.

Social work practice in the twenty-first century is continually changing. Contemporary practitioners work in complex areas and have to do so quickly and competently. This text helps qualified social workers, as well as those about to qualify, to build on their initial studies in order to develop professionally.The volume considers not just what you need to know to practice, but how you develop in criticality and capability – in particular, how you can respond effectively in times of uncertainty and change to become more effective. It examines new roles, identities and contexts, including some international perspectives and the impact of globalisation. Each chapter discusses the contexts of practice (such as law, policies and theories); the contributions made both by those who practice social work and those who use its services; and the capabilities and skills that social workers need to develop in order to deal with complexity in social work. Making use of The Open University’s expertise in providing cutting edge but accessible course materials and its distinct approach to social work practice, this textbook includes underpinning knowledge, practical applications and critical reflexivity. It includes questions for further reflection and application , plentiful examples and suggestions for further reading.Aimed at the newly qualified practitioner and the developing professional, Professional Development in Social Work is written by a team of authors with extensive practice and teaching experience. It will be particularly useful to students undertaking post-qualifying training or in the final year of their qualifying studies.

Activity-based series, exam preparation skills, mapped to specification, developed with teachers, first teach September 2022. Endorsed by Cambridge OCR. This print and digital student book covers all the mandatory units for the Cambridge National in IT, with an easy-to-follow visual layout and accessible language to stimulate students' interest. Takes a scaffolded, activity-based approach to understanding the content, written at just the right level, helping to engage students in their learning and give them the confidence to progress. Provides lots of activities to help students develop the knowledge and skills to complete their assessments. Bite-sized learning topics build understanding of essential concepts and are supported by case studies with three levels of differentiated questions to support all students

Activity-based series, exam preparation skills, mapped to specification, developed with teachers, first teach September 2022. Endorsed by Cambridge OCR. This combined revision guide and workbook provides a wealth of exam-style questions and detailed guidance to give students the confidence they need to tackle a full range of exam questions. It provides clear and concise summaries of key learning points, with a strong visual presentation, to help focus students' attention. Write-in activities support consolidation of learning and encourage active revision. Confidence-building activities help students to unlock the language of assessment and achieve their potential. Includes digital support to help students check their knowledge and understanding, and to learn what to expect from different types of exam questions.

Help your learners become confident computational thinkers with the Cambridge Primary Computing Learner's Book 1 with Digital Access. Filled with interesting activities, such as designing a robot and going on a computer hunt, this learner's book builds essential computing skills, promotes online safety and shares interesting computing facts to help engage learners in their studies. This resource covers the computing strands Computational Thinking, Programming, Managing Data, Networks and Digital Communication, and Computer Systems. Access source files and suggested learner's book answers on Cambridge GO

Drawing on a wealth of experience from both current and past practitioners in mental health, this book is a handbook for Approved Mental Health Practitioners at a time of uncertainty and change. The book considers the themes and issues relating to the role, the present day challenges and future directions for the profession.

Critical practice is at the core of all activity undertaken with service users, carers and their communities. Conveying the diverse nature of this work The Critical Practitioner in Social Work and Health Care takes a comprehensive and reflective look at key areas of practice and the challenges professionals face in training and in their working lives. The chapters focus on the skills and values fundamental to the caring role and helps readers understand the importance of being able to adapt to changing demands and expectations.

Key features of the book include:

"a multiprofessional approach, incorporating examples from health, social work, and social care

"an integrated approach to theory and practice

"a range of case studies to illustrate key themes and issues

"coverage of core topics such as: ethics, management, supervision, teamwork, interprofessional working, practice with service-users, research, policy issues, accountability

"strongly supports underpinning knowledge for the National Occupational Standards and subject benchmarks.

The book encourages the reader to develop the confidence and analytic skills to achieve best practice across all areas of their work. It will be required reading for all those studying social work, nursing, and allied caring professions. It will also be of great help to practitioners wishing to reflect on and develop their own practice.

This Reader includes revised and updated material from Brechin et al's Critical Practice in Health and Social Care also published by SAGE (2000).

Sandy Fraser is a Lecturer in Social Work, Faculty of Health and Social Care at The Open University. He co-edited Doing Research with Children and Young People and The Reality of Research with Children and Young People (both 2004) published by SAGE Publications in association with The Open University.

Sarah Matthews is a Staff Tutor in The Open University regional office in Manchester. She is also a Mental Health Act Commissioner and runs a training and consultancy business. She worked for 20 years as a qualified social worker, latterly as a senior manager.