Theodore J. Stein – författare

HIV infection is rising rapidly, particularly among heterosexual women and children. This epidemic if forcing social workers and other service providers to confront a wide range of new public policy problems such as discrimination in employment, housing, services, and education, medical testing and confidentiality, reproductive freedom, health care, child welfare, and child custody. The Social Welfare of Women and Children with HIV and AIDS provides a comprehensive overview of public policy and legislation regarding these issues, including federal and state statutes governing public services, and their implications for practice.

An essential resource for students of social policy and social welfare as well as for social welfare practitioners and other human services professionals, this text examines the policymaking activity of the different branches of the American government and of the public-at-large as well as the interactions between the branches of government and the general public in the formation and implementation of social policy. In addition to examining the role of the legislative and executive branches of government, Theodore J. Stein covers the often-overlooked role of the judiciary in policymaking. He addresses the ways social welfare practitioners should interpret (1) conflicting judicial rulings in cases where courts of equal jurisdiction rule differently on the same matter and (2) judicial rulings that signal significant changes in the law. The book looks at politics, practice, and implementation and provides a historical background of social policy and social work practice plus a wealth of descriptive and analytic information concerning policymaking processes, specific social policies, and the effect of social policy on social programs.

The strong nexus between law and social work is beyond dispute: the law informs day-to-day social work practice and administration, and social workers are employed by the courts. Moreover, they work collaboratively with attorneys in legal aid offices, public defenders''offices, and other law enforcement settings, interviewing clients, preparing reports for use in court, interpreting social science information, and providing consultation on how best to approach client problems. This book addresses the relationship between the professions of social work and law and helps social workers develop the knowledge necessary to practice in a legal environment. The author focuses on how the law affects the day-to-day practice of social work; the creation, administration, and operation of social service agencies; and the ways in which social workers and attorneys collaborate to serve the public.