Social Work Documentation

Social work practitioners spend a lot of time documenting services they provide, but many are ill-prepared for this practice responsibility. In Social Work Documentation: A Guide to Strengthening Your Case Recording, Nancy Sidell has written the perfect, practical, how-to book on developing effective documentation. Regardless of the practice setting, clinical specialty, and documentation format, this book will help to build better recording skills. In her book, Social Work Documentation: A Guide to Strengthening Your Case Recording, Dr. Sidell provides a clear, concise, and thorough justification of why documentation is important, the different styles used to record client information, and an array of valuable case exercises to work through. Particularly useful is the inclusion of current and relevant examples of documentation that represent a range of practice fields at all levels of social work intervention to include: micro, mezzo, and macro. Woven throughout the workbook are ethical, legal, and supervisory situations that occur in practice that require the reader to critically think about how they would respond. This book is suitable and highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate education, agency trainings, and continuing education courses.

"Designed to help practitioners build writing skills in a variety of settings, Social Work Documentation is a how-to guide for social work students and practitioners interested in good record keeping and improving their documentation skills. This popular, must-have resource provides practical advice on current practice issues such as electronic case recording, trauma-informed documentation, and assessing and documenting client cultural differences of relevance. This third edition is updated to view documentation through person-first language, and includes a chapter on bias-free language selection, with examples and exercises to ensure appropriate wording choices are used related to age, disability, immigration and socioeconomic status, and gender and sexual orientation"--

"Designed to help practitioners build writing skills in a variety of settings, Social Work Documentation is a how-to guide for social work students and practitioners interested in good record keeping and improving their documentation skills. This popular, must-have resource provides practical advice on current practice issues such as electronic case recording, trauma-informed documentation, and assessing and documenting client cultural differences of relevance. This third edition is updated to view documentation through person-first language, and includes a chapter on bias-free language selection, with examples and exercises to ensure appropriate wording choices are used related to age, disability, immigration and socioeconomic status, and gender and sexual orientation"--

"Burnout, one of the primary reasons why committed social workers leave the profession, is a grave and pervasive problem with glaring impact. Those entering social work and all related fields, as well as those already deeply involved, must be educated about its toll and prepared to address and prevent the depletion it causes. This book provides valuable insights for all who carry complex and divergent responsibilities. The author addresses burnout and self-care from the perspective of five arenas: the professional, personal, relational, societal, and physical. She integrates research, case studies, questionnaire responses, and her seasoned experience to identify four major root causes of burnout-compassion fatigue, countertransference, vicarious trauma, and moral distress and injury-and defines creative strategies for individual self-care opportunities. This resourceful guide offers clarification, direction, and opportunity for reflection to help students and professionals in social work, related fields, and beyond find balance in their personal and professional lives as well as ease work-related stress to better serve clients-and, in this way, achieve professional equilibrium, success, and personal fulfillment. This is the second, updated edition of the 2015 original"--

`This work provides some tools for sharpening thinking, writing and practice. It is a readable, accessible and highly relevant text, suitable for all social workers' - Professional Social Work `This book will become a key reference text for many social workers both while studying and as established professionals. A well -thumbed text on the bookshelf!' - Janice West, Glasgow Caledonian University Social workers are required to communicate in writing for a range of purposes, and to write effectively for a range of audiences, such as clients, team members, magistrates and policy makers. Writing Skills for Social Workers aims to raise the profile of writing skills in social work practice, and to enhance social workers' written communication skills. The book adopts a logical progression, and each chapter identifies and contextualises the practical skills needed at specific points in training and practice. Overall it will encourage the development of writing skills and techniques which will stand the reader in good stead throughout their professional career. Key features of the book include: " training in core professional writing tasks, particularly case-notes, report and proposal writing " guidance in advanced writing skills, such as writing literature reviews, journal articles, conference papers and funding applications. " a discussion of ethical issues and values, including client confidentiality, privacy and empowerment " advice on using these skills to contribute to the formal knowledge base of social work through the publication of research. By adopting a practical approach the authors have included a number of pedagogical features such as reflective exercises, writing tips for specific tasks, and guidelines for further reading. This engaging book satisfies statutory requirements for training and continuing professional development. It will therefore be an essential study guide for all students, practitioners and managers in social work settings.

Describes & evaluates the task of recordkeeping for social work practitioners.

Print+CourseSmart

Featuring an evidence- and strengths-based approach to practice methods, this new text teaches students how to apply social work skills in a variety of settings. Designed to enhance self-awareness, professionalism, ethical reasoning, cultural sensitivity, and an appreciation for social justice issues, this text introduces readers to social work’s core values and practice methods to help them assimilate the skills needed for working in the field. Cases and skills-based exercises demonstrate how to make accurate assessments and design effective intervention plans. After laying the groundwork in theory, values, and ethics, the authors review methods for working with individuals, children, and families from an individual and environmental strengths-based perspective. Client engagement, assessment, intervention, evaluation and termination, and documentation are then reviewed. Readers are introduced to the foundational concepts of social work practice and through application learn to successfully work with clients. Key Features Integrates the Council on Social Work Education’s EPAS standards and core competencies throughout, including engagement, assessment, intervention, evaluation, social justice, ethics, critical thinking, professional conduct and decision making, and cultural competency and diversity. Case scenarios in client interview format that closely resemble actual interactions, followed by questions, test readers’ understanding of the practice skills needed to work in the field. Skill-building exercises including individual and group activities, role plays, simulations, and discussion questions that provide an opportunity to apply one’s knowledge and skill sets. Personal reflections that encourage students to examine their own beliefs to help them assimilate social work ethics and values into their professional demeanor. Icons throughout the text that draw attention to useful tips for developing direct practice skills. A strengths-based approach that heightens understanding and results in a higher level of proficiency in the change process. Introduces challenging situations often encountered in practice to help readers acquire the more advanced practice skills necessary for assessment and intervention. Resources including PowerPoints, test questions, sample syllabi, and suggested answers to text exercises and discussion questions.