Policy Press

Textbooks

Education is at the heart of our mission to make a difference. Our goal is to support students’ learning with materials that foster understanding, confidence and skills.

Take a look at our textbooks below or browse by subject.

We have more resources, including free journal articles and Open Access titles, available on our student resources page.

All our books are available on e-inspection for lecturers who want to consider the title(s) for use on their course reading lists. You can order an e-inspection copy here. Click ‘Request Access’ and then use the search function to request a digital sample copy of our titles. You will need to create a username and password to access your book(s).

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Showing 61-72 of 279 items.

The idea of poverty

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.

Policy Press

Plural Policing

Theory and Practice

This book considers the rise of Plural Policing in England and Wales over the past decade or so. It critically analyses this approach and contains examples of practice, both nationally and internationally.

Policy Press

Participatory Practice

Community-based Action for Transformative Change

This unique, holistic and radical perspective on participatory practice has been updated to reflect on advances made in the past decade and the impact of austerity. The innovative text bridges the divide between community development ideas and practice and considers how to bring about transformative social change.

Policy Press

Social Work in the Community

Making a Difference

Social work in the community is a textbook offering practice guidance to students, practice assessors and practitioners on how social work practice takes place in the community within a political, theoretical, methodological and ethical framework. 

Policy Press

Recording in social work

Not just an administrative task

This highly topical book explores the conflicting demands on social workers as they record information on case files, and will stimulate a debate on how to achieve more effective recording in social work.

Policy Press

Social Work and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People

Making a Difference

This important textbook examines how practitioners and student social workers can provide appropriate care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people across the lifespan (including work with children and families and older people) and considers key challenges in social work practice.

Policy Press

Practice Research Partnerships in Social Work

Making a Difference

This comprehensive, accessibly written resource, is designed to help students and practitioners explore partnerships in creating, contributing, consuming, commissioning or critiquing evidence in and for social work practice.

Policy Press

Research Ethics in the Real World

Euro-Western and Indigenous Perspectives

Research Ethics in the Real World highlights the links between research ethics and individual, social, professional, institutional, and political ethics. Helen Kara considers all stages of the research process and provides guidance for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods researchers about how to act ethically throughout.

Policy Press

Understanding the Mixed Economy of Welfare

Edited by Martin Powell

This updated edition, written by social policy and welfare experts, shows how the mixed economy of welfare links with the important conceptual and policy debates.

Policy Press

Residential Child Care in Practice

Making a Difference

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.

Policy Press

Social work in end-of-life and palliative care

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.

Policy Press

What Works in Reducing Inequalities in Child Health?

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.

Policy Press