Social workers are constantly making decisions under pressure. How do policy, law, research and theory influence what they do? This important book provides the answers with a crystal-clear map of the field of social work with children and families.
Focused on four major themes - family support work, child protection, adoption and fostering, and residential child care, and reveals in detail all the challenges that social workers face every day. Edited by the highly respected Martin Davies, this authoritative and illuminating book argues that the skill of the social worker can have life-enhancing consequences for some of the most vulnerable people in society. It is an essential investment for students, educators and practitioners alike.
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: SOCIAL WORK AND THE PROVISION OF FAMILY SUPPORT
Introduction; N.Frost
Family Support: Policies for Practice; K.Morris
The Legal Foundations of Family Support Work; L.Jordan
The Theoretical Foundations of Family Support Work; N.Frost & P.Dolan
What Research Findings Tell Social Workers about Family Support; A.McLeod
Family Support Work in Practice; J.McCormack
PART II: SOCIAL WORK AND CHILD PROTECTION
Introduction; J.Smeeton
Social Policy and Child Protection: Using the Heart and the Head: M.Little; D.Jodrell & S.Karakurt
Legal Perspectives on Social Work in Child Protection; C.Ball
The Place that Theory Plays in Child Protection Social Work; S.Hackett
The Challenging Nature of Research in Child Protection; H.Sneddon
Child Protection Social Work in Practice; J.Smeeton
PART III: SOCIAL WORK IN THE FIELD OF ADOPTION AND FOSTERING
Introduction; C.Jones
Adoption: From the Preservation of the Moral Order to the Needs of the Child; J.Simmonds
Legal Perspectives on Social Work in Adoption and Fostering; C.Ball
Two Theoretical Fields Relevant to the Practice of Social Work in Adoption and Fostering; C.Jones
Milestones in Adoption and Fostering Research; G.Clapton
Adoption and Fostering in Practice; S.Holland & C.Love
PART IV: RESIDENTIAL CHILD CARE
Introduction; A.Kendrick
Residential Child Care Policy; J.Stanley
Residential Child Care: The Legal Foundations and Requirements; R.Sen
Theory in Residential Child Care; M.Smith
What Research Tells Us about Residential Child Care Practice; A.Kendrick
Residential Child Care in Practice; J.Bolger & J.Millar
Index.
