Textbooks
Policy Press publishes a range of textbooks and other learning resources across the social sciences to suit a variety of course and learning needs. These are designed with students in mind and include many accessible features – from case studies and chapter summaries, to revision questions and illustrative boxes and diagrams.
The majority of our textbooks are available as consumer eBooks as well as in print and we are happy to discuss bespoke options such as print and digital packages or creating unique collections to suit your course needs. Our content is available through the key institutional content providers VitalSource and Kortext in early 2015, allowing seamless integration with VLE platforms. If you would like to discuss how we could help with your course resources, please contact pp-sales@bristol.ac.uk.
For more information about our textbooks, please see Information for Lecturers.
Human Growth and Development in Children and Young People
Theoretical and Practice Perspectives
Covering key concepts, theories, themes and issues, this textbook uses a range of multi-disciplinary insights to show how children and young people negotiate crucial challenges and transitions in their lives. Covering different practice dimensions, it provides fresh insights on key topics and includes a range of learning support features.
Understanding Theories and Concepts in Social Policy
Demonstrating the relevance of theory to political and policy debates and practice, this dynamic and fully updated second edition helps students to grasp the real-life implications of social policy theory. It includes a new chapter featuring debates around disability, sexuality and the environment.
Critical Social Work with Children and Families
Theory, Context and Practice
This fully-updated, accessible textbook considers the theory and practice of critical social work in addressing inequality and social injustice. It is essential reading for students, educators and practitioners of child and family social work.
Research and Evaluation for Busy Students and Practitioners
A Survival Guide
Brilliantly attuned to the demands placed on researchers, this book considers how students, academics and professionals alike can save time and stress without compromising the quality of their research or its outcomes.
Social Work with Sex Offenders
Making a Difference
This topical book engages with a wide range of issues related to social work practice with people who have sexually offended. Its accessible style and use of practice based learning exercises will help readers to reflect on theory, practice and developing emotional resilience.
Social Problems in Popular Culture
This is the first book to make the link between popular culture and social problems. Drawing on historical and topical examples, the authors apply an innovative theoretical framework to examine how facets of popular culture shape how we think about, and respond to, social issues.
Delivering Social Welfare
Governance and Service Provision in the UK
Drawing on examples across a range of policy areas, this important new book examines the radically changing system of governance and delivery of social welfare in the UK and assesses how changes in social policy and governance interact in the delivery of social welfare.
Communicating and Engaging with Children and Young People
Making a Difference
This bestselling, practice-focussed textbook will equip students and practitioners with the critical thinking and tools needed for effective practice in order to promote the welfare, protection and rights of children and young people.
Social Work and Society
Political and Ideological Perspectives
This valuable book provides a comprehensive introduction to politics in social work, unifying the themes of political ideology and social construction across several areas of social work practice, including emerging areas of practice.
Human Growth and Development in Adults
Theoretical and Practice Perspectives
This textbook covers the key concepts, themes and issues relating to human growth and development in adults. It examines key topics and issues within professional practice with adults and their families and covers a wide range of practice areas, fuses essential theory with practical application and provides a wide range of learning features.
Critical Questions for Ageing Societies
This myth-busting and question-focused textbook tackles the important social and policy issues posed by ageing. A unique pedagogical approach recognises the gap between the lives of students and older people, and equips students with the conceptual, analytical and critical tools to understand what it means to grow old and live in an ageing society.
Case Studies of Famous Trials and the Construction of Guilt and Innocence
From the trials of Oscar Pistorius to O. J. Simpson and Michael Jackson, this innovative book provides a critical review of 11 high profile criminal cases. It delivers an accessible examination of the sociological and psychological processes underpinning the construction of guilt and innocence in criminal trials, the media and wider society.