Research Highlights in Social Work – serie

Reparation and the place of the victim in the criminal justice process have been the focus of recent legislation and policy initiatives. As a result practitioners are required to place more emphasis on working with victims. The contributors to this book bring together research material from the wide range of disciplines involved and present an overview of the information needed for effective practice.They examine the practicalities of reparation orders, family group conferencing, restorative cautioning schemes and the workings of youth offending teams. They also evaluate the effects of legislation such as the Crime and Disorder Act and the Victim's Charter and explore issues raised by specific types of crime such as urban and rural crime, 'hate crimes' and male violence in the home. This book is essential reading for all agencies and individuals working with offenders and their victims.

In the wake of the profound changes in policy and practice around caring over the past ten years, this volume takes a fresh look at the social and legal status of carers. Demonstrating the scope and diversity of 'caring', the contributors highlight the positive aspects of caring and the interdependence of many caring relationships but also broach the sensitive and complex subject of `poor' care and the importance of identifying and meeting the needs of 'hidden carers'.Arguing that policy and practice must take account of both carers' and users' interests, the contributors re-evaluate the existing role of carers in developing new ideas in the planning and delivery of their services. Each of the book's chapters points to the future and looks at alternative and innovative ways forward in relation to thinking, policy and practice. This will make essential reading for social work and social science academics and students; professionals in the statutory, voluntary and independent sectors looking after the interests of carers; health and social care practitioners; nurses and care agency workers.

Presenting research that will underpin effective practice with women who offend, this unique and thought-provoking text aims to help professionals meet the needs of this group as well as providing a theoretical resource for policy makers and academics. The authors, coming from a variety of professional and research perspectives, discuss important issues concerning women in the criminal justice system, including:* the increase in custodial sentences for women* black women in prison* patterns of female offending* drug use and the criminal justice system* the needs of women on release from prison.Calling into question the relevance to female offenders of research conducted with men who commit crime, the contributors provide a comprehensive knowledge base on women and crime for professionals who work in this area. With a broad range of contributions, this book will be helpful to probation officers, social workers, policy makers and others who work with female offenders.

Evidence-based practice - what it might mean, how it can be achieved, whether it should be aspired to - is the subject of much debate and argument in social work. Covering areas of social work practice that are well established and those in which evidence is just beginning to become available, the authors address issues such as:* What is to count as evidence, and who decides this?* If relevant evidence is agreed on, how should it be used in practice?* How can the thing that made the difference be identified?* Does success result from the theory employed by the worker, or because the worker is skilled, conscientious and effective?* How predictable, controlled and orderly can social work become?Exploring these issues within a range of contexts - from child abuse and domestic violence to looked after children and disability - the authors demonstrate why evidence-based practice is important, but also why it is important to think clearly and carefully about its implications for the social work profession and the users of social work services. Social Work and Evidence-Based Practice will enable practitioners, managers and policy makers to deepen and coordinate their understanding of the key themes in evidence-based practice.

Based on key research into assessment, treatment and recidivism, this book offers practical guidance on improving intervention techniques with sex offenders. The contributors explore the monitoring and surveillance strategies and cognitive-behavioural techniques currently used both in prison and in the community, and give clear directions for future practice. Providing a detailed overview of the typologies and characteristics of offenders, they suggest strategies for managing different kinds of offender, including children and young people who are sexually aggressive.The Sex Offenders Act and the Crime and Disorder Act emphasise the need for effective community management of the predatory paedophile. Reviewing the recent growth in multi-agency approaches to this challenge, the book discusses how police, prisons and social work departments can share information and collaborate effectively, and will be essential reading for probation officers, prison staff, social workers and anyone involved in the assessment and management of sex offenders.

Residential Child Care draws on the latest research to offer guidance for developing best practice, policy and improved outcomes for children and young people.Contributors examine important aspects of residential care work, and address the concerns about the poor outcomes for young people leaving care and the role of residential child care as a positive choice within the range of care services. Key issues addressed include promoting well-being and development for young people; tackling potential discrimination in residential policy and practice; responding to areas of discord in residential child care; and underpinning themes relating to residential child care, such as staff development and support.This book will provide essential reading for policy makers, managers and practitioners in residential care and the social services, and students in the field.

Public Services Inspection in the UK provides a detailed account of the changing role of inspection in public services management. It analyses the key debates about the role that inspection plays in increasing public accountability and encouraging service improvement.Contributors describe current inspection methods across the key public sectors of education, social care, the criminal justice system, local government services and healthcare, and examine the underlying issues and tensions associated with public services inspection. They compare approaches adopted in different parts of the UK and present evidence that can be drawn on to develop more effective practice, as well as offering recommendations for future policy and research.Public Services Inspection in the UK is essential reading for public service managers, social workers, policy makers, researchers, academics, students and professionals working in public services who have an involvement in the inspection process.

Developments in Social Work with Offenders explains the organisational and legislative changes that have occurred in social work and probation across the UK in the past 10 years, in the context of the accumulating body of knowledge about what constitutes effective practice in the assessment, supervision and management of offenders in the community.Three different aspects of working with offenders are covered: developments in policy; assessment, supervision and intervention; and issues and needs. Contributions from experts in the field discuss issues such as community `punishment', case management, accreditation and resettlement. The continuing concern with promoting evidence-based solutions to crime is addressed, and this book will assist professionals working with offenders with making focused interventions supported by research.This book will be essential reading for students of social work and probation and criminology, probation officers and social workers.

This book explores the theory and practice of the developing innovative practice of 'co-production' - a model of service in which users of a service will play an active and participatory role in the service provided to them, adopting a working partnership.Examples of methods and services designed on co-production principles are given by the experienced contributors, including housing initiatives in which the users, rather than professionals, provide support to each other and criminal justice settings in which offenders participate in active restorative justice programmes.Drawing together key figures in the field of social care, this book is important reading for social care practitioners and service providers wanting to stay up to date on the latest developments in the field , as well as academics, researchers and students.

How is the modern world shaping young people and youth crime? What impact is this having on the latest policies and practice? Are current youth justice services working? With contributions from leading researchers in the field, this book offers an insightful, scholarly and critical analysis of such key issues.Youth Offending and Youth Justice engages constructively with current policy and practice debates, tackling issues such as the criminalisation and penalisation of youth, sentencer decision-making, the incarceration of young people and the role of public opinion. It also features an applied focus on professional practice.Drawing on a wide range of high-quality research, this book will enrich the work of practitioners, managers, policy-makers, students and academics in social work, youth work, criminal justice and youth justice in the UK and beyond.

Substance misuse and its pervasive problems is a constant challenge for social work, health and related professionals today. With heightened political and policy emphasis on all aspects of substance misuse, it is paramount that professionals remain up-to-date on current issues and their responsibilities. Based on research and evidence, this book provides a sound basis for grounded and innovative practice.Leading international contributors outline holistic and specialist approaches to policy and practice, and highlight the shift in emphasis from immediate risk minimisation to long-term recovery, the importance of prevention and the pivotal role of workforce development. Issues surrounding work with children and families affected by substance misuse are explored, and ways of implementing new approaches revealed. The book also looks at the impact of the smoking ban in Scotland, and suggests ways to support tobacco use cessation. This book is essential reading for all front-line practitioners working with substance misusers, including social work, health professionals and counsellors.

Social care needs excellent leaders now more than ever. Effective leaders aim high, listen to what the service users want and need, inspire their staff and continually question what they are doing and why. This book draws together the latest research on fundamental leadership issues in social care, discussing collaborative leadership and the importance of place-based development, exploring the key disciplines of supervision, management and leadership and examining the purpose of a learning framework for social care. Comparative approaches are also provided by practitioners working outside of social work, placing leadership development in context across the public, private and voluntary sectors and presenting authoritative guidance from an international perspective.Leadership in Social Care will appeal to social care practitioners and service providers, academics, researchers and students who are passionate about making a difference for the people who use their services.

Social Care, Service Users and User Involvement provides a definitive introduction to practical, philosophical and theoretical issues at the heart of user involvement. This book provides an accessible account of the latest research findings regarding user involvement on three levels: the delivery and provision of services, practice and practitioners, and research and evaluation. It explores a wide range of service user needs and concerns, including the latest developments in personalisation and the effect of the Equality Act 2010. First-hand accounts illustrate the range of issues and service user needs which could be addressed by increased involvement within and beyond the social care system. The book also distinguishes between user views and user involvement, and addresses their processes outcomes and impact, as well as their measurement. This book will be a key source of information for care workers, service managers, policy makers, researchers, service users and social and health care professionals involved in social care and support service planning.

Excellent social work education and training is vital for ensuring best practice, and it is important to understand the key approaches and methods in order to provide the best teaching and ensure effective learning.This volume provides an overview of social work education, including the background and current context. It covers the key debates surrounding social work education, such as the evaluation of social work education, the use of IT, research-mindedness, and the effectiveness of interdisciplinary education. The book also offers guidance on effective teaching and learning approaches tailored to the needs of social work educators, covering teaching within a higher education institution, on student practice placements, and in post-qualifying settings. This will be an indispensable text for educators and trainers in the field of social work.

Violence against women is a pervasive problem in society and responding appropriately to those who experience it and those who perpetrate it is a constant challenge for social work, health and related professions today. This volume seeks to address issues surrounding violence against women at all levels, from its root causes to the specific needs arising in victims of gendered abuse from a particular social or ethnic group. Drawing on the expertise of a range of 'front line' service providers and practitioners as well as academic researchers, it seeks to provide those working in social work and related professions with up-to-date coverage of the major issues pertaining to violence against women, and suggest ways to tackle the rise in violence against women by translating knowledge into effective training and practice.This important book will be essential reading for practising social workers and allied professions, as well as academics and students.

Challenging Child Protection offers a ground-breaking new perspective which will illuminate and improve the professional understanding and practice of social workers and child protection workers.Taking a fresh look at the principles underlying child protection, this book provides a thought-provoking analysis of the evidence base which underpins professional understanding and intervention. It outlines the ways in which agencies have worked to prevent child abuse and neglect and traces key changes in UK policy, as well as situating these amid wider trends in Europe. With contributions from a wide variety of disciplines, including philosophy and anthropology, this is a uniquely diverse collection of academic perspectives. This book challenges our conceptions of child protection and encourages readers to think critically about why children are harmed by adults, how society views child abuse and how this informs practice.

The first book to bring together and review the findings of research into short-term care services for a range of user groups, this book addresses the question of short-term care from many perspectives. Particular attention is paid to the views of those in direct receipt of the service, while the issues of costings and quality, and the current research on provision to particular groups including disabled children and people with dementia, are also examined.

This book redefines the issue of disability as a social rather than an individual problem and considers the implications of this view for the provision of services and for social work practice. It looks at the experience of people with disabilities in society, and the influence that their organisations have had on service provision. The authors discuss the implications of this in a variety of different settings and across the life cycle.The contributors to this book include disabled people, practitioners, professionals and academics.

Significant changes have occurred in recent years in the nature and delivery of social work services to offenders and their families. Working with Offenders considers the implications for policy and practice of research which has focused upon a range of social work activities including* assessment* intensive probation programmes* community service* reparation and mediation* social work with prisoners* work with sex offenders.It also considers more general issues of effectiveness, race and gender and locates recent developments in practice in the context of the broader policy changes in social work and criminal justice which have evolved over the last few years.

Care professionals constantly confront the problem of balancing the need to obtain optimal satisfaction of users' needs without regard for their means, with the concerns of managers and policy makers to measure and regulate costs. Drawing on current research, this book assesses the issues and problems arising as social work and services departments learn how to implement the new community care legislation.It is based on the view that costing care must entail a synthesis of the different philosophies of care, entitlement and public accountability; this includes welfare professionals whose focus in on the needs of the client, managers and policy makers whose focus in on the public costs of welfare, and users and their families who have most to gain or lose.Drawing on the experience of researchers, practitioners and managers, the book explores the development of policies for different types of service and support, and application of assessment tools. In particular, the problem of estimating costs and evaluating alternatives is examined. The practicalities of costing individual care packages for different client groups are critically examined, alongside the implications of devolved budgeting and fee charging.

The contributors to this volume examine the range and nature of problem behaviours among children and young people and the changing nature of their offending, which is reflected in the ongoing examination of philosophies, practices and policies and the tension between `welfare' and more traditional `justice and punishment' approaches. They recognise the increasing obligation of recognising the rights of young people who offend and trace the relationship between explanations of offending by this group and the implications these have for the development of relevant and effective crime prevention strategies.They consider not only English, Scottish and Welsh systems, but also the international arena. With reviews of juvenile justice systems and measures for dealing with juvenile offenders being undertaken in most European countries British developments are evaluated in the broader context of general trends in offending by children and young people.

Examining the theory and practice of work with people with mental health problems, this volume considers the current state of policy and organisation and the changes that have taken place over the last decade in the field. The book charts the move away from separate, specialist services, and the resultant impact on service provision and concerns over dilution of expertise. Using research findings and case studies, the contributors discuss:* the perception of clients by social work organisations* the implementation of services* the impact of community care arrangements* the circumstances of clients who are `hidden' from social services* the `mismatch' between clients' needs and provision offered* the issues of empowerment and assessment of risk as well as with the more `public' factors of resources and confidence in models of care* and the interaction between the various agencies involved with this client group.

Based on both research and practice, this book provides a comprehensive picture of the success, fairness and significance of child protection services for children, parents and individuals. It approaches the problem of child abuse from the various perspectives of those affected (abused children and young people, parents and professionals) and provides information on the characteristics of those who sexually abuse children, including a discussion of the origins of exploitative sexuality. In addition, the authors look at how professionals are responding to or failing to respond to child abuse, multi-disciplinary collaboration, the benefits and shortcomings of prevention and self-help and the changing legal context within which they work as they illustrate the need to develop policies and practices which recognise the importance of protecting children who have been harmed as well as the significance of preventing such harm occurring.

Drawing out the implications for policy and practice from the latest research in housing and social work, this volume illustrates the lack of communication between practitioners that is hindering service provision, and provides suggestions for improving current practice. The contributors examine the relationship of such factors as youth, gender, race, education, poverty, health, social exclusion and housing developments to the provision of housing for those in need.Social workers have many clients - including young people leaving care, offenders, people with disabilities or mental health problems, and those at risk of domestic violence, for example - who require intervention on their behalf to meet their housing needs. Social Care and Housing argues that professionals need to be aware of the role of wider social problems, in particular poor housing, in reinforcing the deprivation of the lowest income groups that form the bulk of service users. The contributors suggest that raising the profile of housing and welfare research within the social services, and encouraging practitioners and educators to introduce a broader social context into practice would improve understanding of the relationship between housing and social care. They also examine strategies for formulating coherent responses to client problems, and explore the development of practice at the boundaries of social care and housing.

This volume reviews recent research into the nature and effects of addiction and considers the usefulness of policies which aim to prevent it. The contributors focus on topics such as smoking, alcoholism, gambling and injecting drug use, examining treatment and the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programmes. Such programmes include services for steroid users, needle exchange provision, and social workers' intervention in alcoholism. The reasons why people turn to substance abuse are explored as well as the real effects on health along with other subjects of importance to social workers such as the estimation of drug misuse prevalence. There is also discussion of government policy on drugs in Britain and Holland.

Growing Up with Disability encompasses a wide range of perspectives on childhood impairment and its social implications. The book adopts a child-centred approach, stressing the importance of communicating with disabled children, and includes interviews and pieces of their own writing. Pre-school and school age children describe their behaviour and feelings within their own families, substitute families, and residential homes. The book explores how such children can best be protected, and how their quality of life can be improved. Using the social model of disability which identifies the barriers to inclusion, contributors give examples of progressive practice, and examine the aspirations of young disabled people, their friendships, and how they come to terms with adolescence and the transition to adulthood.

Effective Ways of Working with Children and their Families examines the latest evidence about the most successful forms of intervention when working with children and their families. The book covers a wide range of approaches and services, with particular emphasis on those methods seeking to help children with identified problems. Certain approaches focus on individual children, others on their families, whilst some aim to influence children's lives at school, neighbourhood and community levels. After discussing the principles, designs and debates associated with ideas of effectiveness and evidence, the book evaluates current practice in child and family work, including:early years provisionfamily mediationchild and adolescent psychiatrytreatment for children who have been sexually abusedwork with foster children and their families.Each chapter outlines the nature of and principle behind each form of intervention under consideration, then reviews the evidence for their success. The contributors, who come from a range of backgrounds including psychology, social work, psychiatry, education and family mediation, conclude by drawing out common themes and implications about what works for practitioners working with children and their families.

Risk Assessment in Social Care and Social Work outlines the theoretical issues behind the decisions, processes and organisations involved in risk assessment. Written by leading academics and experienced practitioners, it considers implications for future policy, drawing on the full range of perspectives in the most recent research. It considers the following themes:* The concepts of risk and dangerousness, and the ethical questions, which arise when assessments of risk are made.* The wider context of social policy and legislation, and the interaction between rehabilitation and the distribution of risk.* Social services staff and the risks they pose to their clients - the issues of selection, supervision and accountability; and risks to practitioners themselves.Individual chapters describe and compare methods of risk assessment with different client groups, including older people, children, people with mental health problems, and sex offenders. This book will ensure that practitioners, managers and policy makers deepen and coordinate their understanding of the key issues involved in both the initial choices made about the extent of risk, and the stable and productive management of the outcomes of those decisions.

Focusing on the enormous organisational and cultural changes that local authority social services have undergone since the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act, this volume provides an overview of the structure and function of social care at practice, management and policy levels. It contains contributions from leading academics, researchers and practitioners in the UK, and also includes chapters on the experiences across the United Kingdom and abroad. The contributors examine the impact and effectiveness of key shifts in:the weighting of responsibility of central and local governmentwho the purchasers and providers of social care arethe interaction between social services and other agenciesthe relationship between voluntary and statutory sectorsthe involvement of users and carers in service design and provision.They assess the significance of the breakdown of the traditional distinctions and roles underlying social care, and lay the foundations for effective and coordinated future policy, practice and research. With the publication of the Labour Government's White Paper Modernising Social Services, the future of social care is set for yet more upheaval. This volume will provide an indispensable overview of the evolution and destiny of local authority social services for students, practitioners and managers.