Mastering Whole Family Assessment In Social Work

How do you keep the whole family in mind when carrying out social work assessment? How do you balance the needs of adults and children? How do you ensure that children's welfare and safety are everyone's priority when families face complex difficulties? Mastering Whole Family Assessment in Social Work brings together what social workers in adult and children services need to know about assessment across both services. With tools and frameworks that make sense of the interface between adult life difficulties, family problems, parenting capacity and children's needs, this practical guide will help social workers to think across professional and administrative divides. Case studies, practice vignettes, exercises and suggestions for further reading are included throughout the book to help the reader consider the well-being of the whole family when conducting and interpreting assessments. This guide will help social workers to think holistically and work collaboratively both with each other and with families.

This thoroughly revised and updated second edition of Child and Family Assessment in Social Work Practice is an essential guide for social work students and practitioners involved in the assessment of children and their families. Focusing on ′core′ assessments and guiding the reader through the complexities of conducting assessments of need and risk, the book now includes within each chapter a range of specifically-tailored exercises and focus points which encourage readers both to reflect on what they have learnt and to understand how they can apply that learning to practice. Placing a strong emphasis on good, evidence-based, assessment practice, Sally Holland has also, for this new edition, included original research evidence from a wide range of up-to-date research studies which are relevant to today′s practice and which aim to promote a critical and reflective approach to the assessment process. The book is divided into three parts: - Part 1 explores different appoaches to assessment work, outlining policy changes and their implications for working with children and their families. - Part 2 studies those involved in child and family assessments: children and their parents; and the relationship between the assessors and the assessed. - Part 3 - a more practical guide - outlines the actual process of an assessment, illustrated by case studies, focusing on planning assessment methods, analysis, reporting and critical evaluation. Accessibly relating theory and research to actual practice through the use of case studies, exercises, and suggestions for good practice and further reading, this book has a student-friendly structure It will be an invaluable resource for practitioners and academics across the field of social welfare, particularly for those embarking on, or already involved in, child and family assessment.

Communication skills are fundamental to effective social work practice. Accessible and easy-to-read, Mastering Communication in Social Work is designed to help you develop these essential skills. It explores the basics of how communication works, the factors that influence how effectively you attend to and convey information, and how you can improve your communication. Particular attention is given to the challenges posed by difficult clients and the cultural dimensions of communication. Gast and Bailey put forward a reflective model for practice designed help you break bad habits and develop a wider repertoire of communication behaviours. Practice vignettes and exercises for the reader are included throughout. This book is essential reading for social work students, practitioners, managers, practice teachers and assessors, and trainers, as well as those in allied professions.

How can adoptive parents and their teenagers navigate the challenges of the adolescent years? Full of valuable, grounded advice, this guide will help parents to understand the impact of early trauma on a child's development and the specific nature of the changes that occur during adolescence. With tips for coping with common problems, it combines first-hand accounts from professionals, parents and teenagers themselves. It also covers essential topics such as: family and peer relationships, developing healthy intimate relationships, emerging identity issues, and contacting birth family. Accessible and honest, Parenting Adopted Teenagers is an invaluable resource for adoptive parents as well as professionals working with them.

Putting Analysis into Child and Family Assessment bridges theory and practice, and provides clear guidance to improve assessments in child and family social work. It addresses the issues of central concern to child and family social workers, including analytical assessment, outlines how to avoid common pitfalls, provides strong theoretical foundations, and demonstrates how the theory can be translated into practice. With reference to common and specialist assessments, the book covers every stage of the assessment process: planning and preparation, hypothesising, involving children, and making, recording and reviewing decisions. It features practice tools, case studies and practice development sessions and activities. This third edition has been fully updated with recent policy changes and new research findings. This book will be valued by practitioners, managers, trainers and lecturers looking for a grounded resource which provides practical guidance on how to improve assessments.

Assessment is a core component of social work. Since first publication, Assessment in Social Work has provided students and practitioners with a clear overview of the complex issues they face and a map of the theory they need to draw on in order to conduct thorough, effective and meaningful assessments. New to this Edition: - Updated and revised chapter on Signs of Safety/Strengths in light of recent research and guidance - Coverage of recording and sharing information included throughout the text - Added coverage of confidentiality and inter-agency workingUpdated material in light of the Mental Capacity Act - More material on Cultural differences throughout - Updated legislation and professional guidance throughout Refreshed and updated examples thought-out the text - A more detailed outline of the different national perspectives within the UK

Aiming to provide purpose and direction in a complex field of work, this book offers direct and straightforward guidance on how to improve child protection on the frontline. Terry McCarthy draws directly from his own extensive practice experience to outline three steps to achieve improved outcomes. First, he explains how to establish an effective culture which develops learning on relationships and styles of authority. Second, he identifies how to support social workers to create a stable, skilled and confident workforce, equipped to deal with emotional challenges. Third, he outlines strategies to enable families to change, with useful techniques for working alongside families to make sure the needs of the child are being met. This approach aims to help children to live safely and well within their own families. This practical guide serves as a guiding compass through the dilemmas and conflicts of child protection practice, and will be valued by frontline social work managers and practitioners alike.

This bestselling book will take you step-by-step through the four main aspects of social work practice - Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Review - giving you a complete foundation in each. It will introduce you to each process in a clear and accessible way, supporting you to both reflect on and apply what you have learnt in practice across settings and service user groups. The book will provide you with a theoretical foundation from which you can explore other aspects of social work. New to the fifth edition: an ‘ethnographic approach’ to social work focus on relationship and resilience revised exploration of the political context of social work updated emphasis on social justice and human rights.