Textbooks

This book explores what social work is. Structured around the framework of the National Occupational Standards for social work, the book examines how social work can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities, and argues that to really make a difference it is necessary to think outside the box.

This book examines youth justice in a UK and international context, highlighting the challenge facing all jurisdictions in balancing welfare and justice. It explores the impact of political ideas and influences on the structural and practical challenges of delivering youth justice.

The book is unique in drawing together contributors from a range of different disciplines to consider the issues and challenges involved for social work practice in multi agency working.

This book examines how religion and related beliefs have varied impacts on the needs and perceptions of practitioners, service users, and the support networks available to them.

Re-examining C.Wright Mills’s legacy as a jumping off point, this original introduction to sociology illuminates global concepts, themes and practices that are fundamental to the discipline and rethinks and re-imagines what a critically committed, politically engaged and publicly relevant sociology should look like in the 21st century.

This third edition of the leading textbook on personalisation considers key policy changes since 2009 and new research into the extension and outcomes of personal budgets. It is essential reading for students, practitioners and policy makers in social work and community care services.

Making a committed argument for a participative, inclusive understanding of the term, Paul Spicker examines views about what poverty is and what should be done about it.

It is crucial for criminal justice practitioners to understand miscarriages of justice. This text provides an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of miscarriages of justice, highlighting difficulties in defining them, examining their dimensions, forms, scale and impact and exploring key cases and their causes.

This highly practical book, written by experienced practitioners and academics, is a core text about the practice of residential childcare, where workers and children share a common lifespace.

Social work should help to strengthen individuals to achieve a respectful death and families to move forward in their lives. This valuable book focuses on practice interventions, advocating open communication and skilled interpersonal practice to help dying and bereaved people, their families and carers.

This revised and updated edition of an important report looks at macro public policy interventions, community interventions, and individual level interventions in a variety of areas to ascertain 'what works' in practice. It includes new case studies, updated research references, and reference to cost effectiveness.