Social Work With Rural Peoples Third Edition

Social workers choosing to work in smaller towns or rural communities face a different set of conditions and concerns from their city colleagues. Ken Collier wrote his now–classic text Social Work with Rural Peoples, for those social workers, whether they are just starting out or already in the field. The gist of Collier’s genuinely radical book is that for the rural social worker to be effective, she must be able to identify with the struggles of the people she is trying to help – that trying to maintain “professional”, “ objective” distance will merely ensure that the social worker becomes part of the problem rather than part of the solution. For the social worker in a smaller community, “Whose side are you one?” is the most important question to be answered before any effective work can be done. It is an indictment of the slow pace of progress against the societal problems facing rural populations that a third edition of Social Work with Rural Peoples is necessary.

The gist of Collier’s genuinely radical book is that for the rural social worker to be effective, she must be able to identify with the struggles of the people she is trying to help — that trying to maintain “professional”, “objective” distance will merely ensure that the social worker becomes part of the problem rather than part of the solution. For the social worker in a smaller community, “Whose side are you on?” is the most important question to be answered before any effective work can be done. It is an indictment of the slow pace of progress against the societal problems facing rural populations that a third edition of Social Work With Rural Peoples is necessary.

Examines the unique problems encountered by rural social workers when dealing with seasonal farm workers, native Indians on reserves and the rural poor in Canada. Gives a historical overview of rural society and examines the threat posed to it by the urban industrial centre.

This ground-breaking new work provides a detailed and extensive comparison of how the physical environment has been conceptualized in social work and other professions, and offers a new and attractive foundational metaphor for social work. The author acknowledges the need for greater awareness and action regarding environmental impacts and the book promotes more comprehensive notions of responsibility, identity, and stewardship that lead to a dynamic metaphor of people as place as the foundation for relevant social work practice in the early 21st century. Why is that a profession with a declared focus on ""person-in-environment"" has been so silent on the environmental crisis? Mainstream social work theory has narrowed the understanding of environment to include merely the social environment, but this approach is no longer sufficient for participation in multi-disciplinary efforts to tackle urgent environmental issues. Transformative notions of responsibility, identity, and stewardship have been developed on the fringes of our professional community: rural/remote social workers, Aboriginal social workers, and international and spiritual social workers. They must now move to the core of the profession.

In much of the West the concerns of rural people are marginalised and rural issues neglected. This stimulating book draws upon a rich variety of material to show why rural social work is such a challenging field of practice. It incorporates research from different disciplines and places to provide an accessible and comprehensive introduction to rural practice. The first part of the book focuses upon the experience of rurality. The second part of the book turns to the development of rural practice, reviewing different ways of working from casework through to community development. This book is relevant to planners, managers and practitioners not only in social work but also in other welfare services such as health and youth work, who are likely to face similar challenges.

Featuring contributions from practitioners, researchers, and academics, this volume synthesizes and analyzes current trends in rural social work practice and considers the most effective ways to serve rural communities. Contributors consider the history and development of rural social work from its beginnings to the present day, addressing the value of the Internet and other new information technologies in helping clients. They also examine the effects of nonprofit organizations and welfare reform on poor rural areas. Coverage of specific client populations and fields of practice includes services for rural mental healthcare; the chronically mentally ill; healthcare for minorities; and the challenges faced by the elderly in rural areas. The contributors also consider issues affecting gays and lesbians living in rural communities and the role of religiosity and social support in the well-being of HIV/AIDS clients. The book concludes with a consideration of the unique issues associated with educating social workers for rural practice.

This book starts with detailed community-based poverty-alleviation cases and focuses on several important aspects in this field to demonstrate the intervention methods, theoretical paradigms, and intervention models of poverty-alleviation social work. Based on the introduction to the characteristics, theoretical foundation, and practical model of community-based poverty-alleviation social work, this book elaborates the specific operation processes from the perspectives of community intervention, community empowerment, and community construction. Its chapters are arranged in a progressive order yet can also be understood separately. Moreover, not only are the characteristics of community-based anti-poverty social work highlighted in the book, but the essentials of all kinds of related social work in the fight against poverty are reflected. As the first professional book in China that systematically describes the theory and practice of community-based anti-poverty social work, it is especially suitable for social workers, poverty-alleviation workers, community workers, and readers interested in related topics.