Social Work With Looked After Children

This revised edition details organisational systems and structures that are part of the assessment and planning process for looked after children. This is closely interwoven with discussions about their emotional development, educational, health and cultural needs and how these needs can be met through social work and a range of other services. The views of looked after children are highlighted through case studies and summaries of research findings, and the range of skills and knowledge necessary to support looked after children through the key events they experience, including loss, change and the development of new relationships, are explained and illustrated.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. Based on groundbreaking original research, this book provides a comprehensive account of the issues surrounding pregnancy and parenthood for young people in and leaving care. Featuring the voices of care-experienced parents, together with reflections from practitioners, it offers valuable insights into the issues facing this group. Using qualitative data to explore why parenthood is such an important issue for young people in and leaving care, this book shows what can be learned from their experiences in order to improve outcomes for parents and children in the future. The author highlights the practical and emotional needs of care-experienced parents and gives clear advice for practitioners on how these needs might be better addressed through summary points, practice guidance and recommendations for policy and practice.

′An excellent introduction to social work with children and families. It links practice with legislation and highlights relevant research findings′. - Mr Dan Burrows,Cardiff School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University Working with children and families is one of the most challenging, skilled, but ultimately rewarding, areas of social work practice. Social workers need to be able to work with a diverse group of children and their families: from babies to teenagers, single parents to two-parent families and multi-carer families, as well as with a diverse group of professionals, such as the police, schools, hospitals, health centres and various community organisations. They need to be able to understand the law, policy and legislation that surrounds social work with children and families, while continually developing their own skills. Such skills include communication, preparation and planning, intervention, recognition, identification and assessment of significant harm, recording and report writing, managing oneself and the work, problem solving, research and analysis and decision making. This fully revised new edition aims to guide you through all of these areas and more. There are chapters on safeguarding, substitute care for children, family support for children and families, life story work and direct work with children.

Providing key messages for practice, they outline a range of protection measures against "disability by association" to reduce the risk of stigma and victimisation.

This key text covers the knowledge and skills that social workers need to get into practice with children and families. The book covers core components of child and family work such as building effective relationships, assessment, child protection practice and working with the law. Clear and accessible, this practical book features case studies, questions and exercises throughout. This third edition covers the very latest developments in child and family work, including changes in professional practice that emphasise the importance of understanding child development and observation skills. Social Work with Children and Families is an indispensable text for social workers, allied health professionals, psychologists and students of social work and child care.

The powerful, refreshingly honest, first-hand account of a childhood spent in the Care system. At the age of nine, Hope Daniels walked into Stoke Newington Police Station with her little brothers and asked to be taken into care. Home life was intolerable: both of Hope’s parents were alcoholics and her mum was a prostitute. The year was 1983. As London emerged into a new era of wealth and opportunity, the Daniels children lived in desperate poverty, neglected and barely nourished. Hounded by vigilante neighbours and vulnerable to the drunken behaviour of her parents’ friends, Hope had to draw on her inner strength. Hackney Child is Hope's gripping story of physical and emotional survival – and the lifeline given to her by the support of professionals working in the care system. Despite all the challenges she faced, Hope never lost compassion for her parents. Her experiences make essential reading and show that, with the right help, the least fortunate children have the potential not only to recover but to thrive. ‘It’s raw and absorbing’Grazia ‘This story needed to be told’ Cassie Harte, Sunday Times Number One bestselling author

Working with children and families is a challenging, skilled and rewarding area of social work practice. It involves working in diverse settings with various groups of professionals, such as the police, schools, hospitals and community organisations. The current edition of this popular book has been updated to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to undertake essential work with children. It also explores social workers’ values and attitudes in relation to the safety of children and includes references to important legislation such as Every Child Matters, Working Together 2006 and the Adoption and Children Act 2002.

An invaluable resource for all social workers in practice with children and families, this book examines key issues such as child protection, family support, care planning, adoption and case preparation for court. With illustrative case studies throughout, the text is divided into two sections: " Part 1 explores the legal context of social work practice with children, examining how international human rights standards are absorbed within domestic law. " Part 2 explores the application of the law, policies and systems to individual case work, illustrating rights-based thinking in practice. Accessible to those without a background in law, the book highlights links between social work standards and legal values and rules. With promotion of the rights of children and families a measure of professional competence and legal obligation, the book helps readers satisfy social work standards and use their knowledge of the law to improve their practice. The book is vital reading for all levels of social work student, including those undertaking the post-qualifying award in child care, as well as being an indispensable resource for practitioners working with children and families. Jane Williams is a lecturer in law at the University of Swansea. She specialises in social work law, and children′s rights. Other publications include Children and Citizenship (SAGE, 2007), co-edited with Antonella Invernizzi.