University of Chicago Press: New Titles in Social Work

Building the Client's Relational Base

Mark Furlong — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

This book makes a challenging—but hopeful—argument for anyone with a client relationship: sustainable and accountable interpersonal relationships are a precondition for health and well-being. It argues that there are always opportunities to deepen the quality and range of the client connection. Compellingly written, it brings a host of case studies to life, weaving insights from critical theory and social epidemiology into explorations of the practical actions that any professional committed to strengthening the relational base of their clients can take.

Child Protection

Siobhan E. Laird — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As they intervene in families to reduce the risk of harm to children, child-protection social workers are confronting increasingly high levels of hostility and aggression from some parents. Child Protection details applied theories of aggression in conjunction with the skills required for dealing with anger, conflict, and aggressive acts. Employing tools and reflective exercises to assist the application of theory to day-to-day child-protection practice, this indispensable and practical text is ideal for social work students, practitioners, and academics specializing in child protection.

Residential Child Care in Practice

Leon Fulcher; Peter Doran; Mark Smith — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Written by experienced practitioners and academics, this book surveys the practice of residential child care. It takes as its starting point the fact residential child care requires workers and children to share a common life-space in which the quality of interpersonal relationships is crucial. Each chapter presents practice scenarios that highlight relevant policies and allow for the discussion of knowledge, skills, and values. Residential Child Care in Practice will appeal to child- and youth-care students, teachers, and practitioners, while also making valuable contributions to the emerging literature around social pedagogy.

Social Workers Affecting Social Policy

John Gal; Idit Weiss-Gal — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Social Workers Affecting Social Policy is the first book to undertake a cross-national study of social worker engagement in social-policy formulation processes. At its core, it asks how social workers influence social policy in various national settings. It offers insights into social worker involvement in policy change, the social work discourse, and education in different countries. It will be of interest to social work practitioners, students, educators, and researchers, as well as to social-policy scholars.

Adolescent-to-Parent Abuse

Amanda Holt — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

This is the first academic book to focus on adolescent-to-parent abuse. It discusses what we know about parents’ experiences of this type of abuse and critically examines how it has been explained from psychological, sociological, and sociocultural perspectives. It also outlines how policy makers and practitioners can usefully respond to the problem. Written in an accessible style, Adolescent-to-Parent Abuse is an essential tool for academics, policy makers, and professionals with an interest in domestic violence and child protection.

Social Work and Social Theory

Paul Michael Garrett — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:00 GMT

In order to work effectively, social workers need to understand theoretical concepts and develop critical theory. In Social Work and Social Theory, Paul Michael Garrett seeks to bring the profession into dialogue with the anticapitalist movement and encourages a new engagement with theorists such as Antonio Gramsci, Pierre Bourdieu, and Nancy Fraser. It provides an accessible and exhilarating introduction for practitioners, students, and social work academics interested in social theory and critical social policy. It will be a vital resource aiding anyone intent on creating a more radical social work and a useful teaching tool to spark lively classroom discussion.