Challenging Social Work

Taking account of the political, economic and cultural changes that have impacted on social work over recent years, this book explores the challenges and presents the realities of practice. Using an international range of examples, McDonald makes an important contribution to the ongoing debate about the character and purpose of social work.

"Grand challenges" represent a focused method of attacking the most deeply significant problems of a discipline, organization, or society itself. Since the concept was first introduced over a century ago, more than 600 governments, foundations, and professions subsequently adopted this language and approach, often to excellent effect. In 2012, the social work profession launched its own national initiative, with aim of using science, innovation, and new forms of collaboration to accelerate progress toward critically needed social solutions. There was also strong corollary interest in changing the profession itself, introducing new forms of practice and problem-solving. The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare served as the first home of the Grand Challenges initiative in social work; in 2017, as the initiative grew more complex, it became an independent organization"--

This book is full of analysis and ideas about how social work education can confront the individualising and often blaming form of social work that neoliberalism ushered in four decades ago.

Reclaiming Social Work is a thought-provoking and innovative book which examines how social work′s commitment to social justice has been deepened and enriched by its contact with wider social movements. It explores the tensions between social work values and a market-driven agenda, and locates new resources of hope for the social work profession in the developing resistance to managerialism. The book: " discusses pertinent social work issues such as inequality and risk, the voluntary sector, and service-user involvement " examines values such as democracy, solidarity, accountability, participation, justice, equality, liberty and diversity " is written in an accessible style, drawing on diverse examples to illustrate theoretical concepts. Reclaiming Social Work is an accessible yet challenging book and will be essential reading for all social work students and practitioners wanting to think outside the boundaries of their profession. The book will be particularly helpful to students taking courses in anti-oppressive practice, social work values, social work theories and concepts, and international social work. Iain Ferguson is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Stirling. Previous publications include Rethinking Welfare: A Critical Perspective (SAGE, 2002, co-authored with Michael Lavalette and Gerry Mooney); Globalisation, Global Justice and Social Work (Routledge, 2004, co-edited with Michael Lavalette and Elizabeth Whitmore); and International Social Work and the Radical Tradition (Venture Press, 2007, co-edited with Michael Lavalette).

By using human rights as a guidepost, social workers can help create social welfare policies that better serve societal needs. However, in applying human rights to contemporary situations, social workers often encounter challenges that require thinking outside the box. Bringing together provocative essays from a diverse range of authors, Elisabeth Reichert demonstrates how approaching social work from a human rights perspective can profoundly affect legislation, resource management, and enforcement of policies. Topics include the reconciliation of cultural relativism with universal human rights; the debate over whether human rights truly promote economic and social development or simply allow economically developed societies to exploit underdeveloped countries; the role of gender in the practice of human rights; the tendency to promote political and civil rights over economic and social rights; and the surprising connection between the social work and legal professions.

Professional Social Work Education and Health Care responds to critical concerns about the educational preparation of social workers within the rapidly changing health care environment. Contributors address issues and questions of importance to educators who are contending with the multiple challenges of rapidly changing institutions, fiscal constraints, and service to populations with complex social health care needs. This coverage provides you with important visions of the future education of leaders in health care social work. The editors of Professional Social Work Education and Health Care present information that looks to the future in order to open the floor for communication among the leaders in health care social work settings. Chapters explain the context of social work practice, exploe current social work practice issues, and look into continuing education and fieldwork. In doing so, they give you valuable information about imprtant issues such as: changes in social work department structure and function in challenging economic times collaborative efforts and reciprocal relationships in education and training emergence of networks that will join forces with hospitals preparation for short-term, solution-based social work the remaining need for traditional, long-term social work frameworks and values the shift in ideology to viewing clients as consumers rather than patients modification of curriculum to focus on parenting, health education, adolescent pregnancy prevention, and wellness programs emergence of a model for post-master’s education field work in community-based health care placements versus inpatient hospital settings This book’s model for making education and practice responsive to each other and for responding to the needs for collaboration makes it a valuable resource for social work educators, practitioners, and clinicians in health and mental health; advanced gerontologists in academic and practice agencies; and teachers of policy and research in health concentrations in schools of social work. Professional Social Work Education and Health Care is an excellent ancillary text for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in social work practice in health and mental health and is a strong addition to reading lists for classes on social work with the aged, social work research in health care, and field work seminars in health and mental health.

Social Work and Social Justice transcends discussions of abstract social justice concepts and goals by focusing on how these concepts can be used as guides for socially just practice at the interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal levels. In addition to emphasizing the importance of social justice work through compelling examples, case studies, and exercises, this book vividly illustrates its complexity and discusses how social workers can negotiate the practical and ethical challenges involved. Unlike many books on the subject, the text integrates diverse and often conflicting approaches to social justice to promote critical thinking and underscore the value of incorporating various perspectives into one's practice. Other distinguishing features include: its emphasis on the complementary nature of socially just goals and processes; its use of well-developed case examples, often drawn from the authors' experience; and the authors' reflection on the implications of these examples from both "micro" and "macro" perspectives, along with a discussion of how practitioners with diverse understandings of social justice might interpret the case. Social Work and Social Justice is based on the authors' extensive teaching and practice experience in a wide variety of fields, both in the U.S. and internationally, and on their research on such varied topics as welfare reform, mental health, social work practice theory, social work values and ethics, and the history and philosophy of social welfare and social work. It is undeniably a must-have resource for students and faculty in undergraduate and graduate social work programs, as well as practitioners in social work and the human services.