The Blackwell Companion to Social Work 4th Edition

'Since its fi rst appearance The Blackwell Companion to Social Work 4th Edition has never been off our recommended reading lists. It provides a comprehensive and in-depth "one-stop" for students, academics and practitioners seeking the most thoughtful contemporary insights to the complexities of modern social work practice. Look no further.'
Gary Clapton, University of Edinburgh

'This book continues to be an important source of reference both for the discipline and the profession of social work. In its revised form, the book manages to keep pace with the rapid changes that are taking place in social work without sacrifi cing breadth or depth. It will prove an invaluable teaching tool and a reliable starting point for more sustained and detailed inquiry.'
Ian Butler, University of Bath

???The new edition of this highly popular edited volume will undoubtedly ensure that it maintains its status as a must-have textbook for social worker students. The chapters within the volume are organised into six "books' - an indication of the breadth of issues covered. The reader will fi nd updated material on key aspects of social work written by respected academics, writers and practitioners. Each chapter closes with three questions that focus on the core ideas contained within the chapter. These provide a helpful starting point for seminar or small group discussion. The comprehensiveness of the text has also been further developed with the inclusion of a collection of twenty-four papers that introduce theories and concepts central to the discipline of social work.???
Christine Jones, Durham University

This signifi cantly extended fourth edition of the primary text for students and trainee social workers is the most inclusive and authoritative of its kind – in eff ect, six books in one, providing an integrated companion that avoids the need for supplementary volumes. The material has been reformulated into substantive sections that cover all the essential aspects of social work, including two entirely new ones covering theory and practice. The text now features an innovative encyclopedia'style selection of 24 essays each analysing a relevant theoretical perspective.

Concise, expertly edited contributions from leading academics and practitioners explore the social and psychological framework of the subject, the stages in the human life cycle, the reasons for social work, the nature of social work practice, its core components, and its theoretical foundations. As with previous editions, the coverage is subdivided into discrete and easy-to-assimilate sections, making this an invaluable reference for students throughout an entire social work programme. Each chapter lists the key points to remember and includes questions for discussion in addition to judiciously selected recommendations for further reading. More experienced readers will fi nd this updated new edition an informative source on the central issues and debates in contemporary social work.

"Since its fi rst appearance The Blackwell Companion to Social Work 4th Edition has never been off our recommended reading lists. It provides a comprehensive and in-depth 'one-stop' for students, academics and practitioners seeking the most thoughtful contemporary insights to the complexities of modern social work practice. Look no further."
―Gary Clapton, University of Edinburgh

"This book continues to be an important source of reference both for the discipline and the profession of social work. In its revised form, the book manages to keep pace with the rapid changes that are taking place in social work without sacrifi cing breadth or depth. It will prove an invaluable teaching tool and a reliable starting point for more sustained and detailed inquiry."
―Ian Butler, University of Bath

"The new edition of this highly popular edited volume will undoubtedly ensure that it maintains its status as a must-have textbook for social worker students. The chapters within the volume are organised into six 'books' – an indication of the breadth of issues covered. The reader will find updated material on key aspects of social work written by respected academics, writers and practitioners. Each chapter closes with three questions that focus on the core ideas contained within the chapter. These provide a helpful starting point for seminar or small group discussion. The comprehensiveness of the text has also been further developed with the inclusion of a collection of twenty-four papers that introduce theories and concepts central to the discipline of social work."
―Christine Jones, Durham University

This significantly extended fourth edition of the primary text for students and trainee social workers is the most inclusive and authoritative of its kind – in eff ect, six books in one, providing an integrated companion that avoids the need for supplementary volumes. The material has been reformulated into substantive sections that cover all the essential aspects of social work, including two entirely new ones covering theory and practice. The text now features an innovative encyclopedia-style selection of 24 essays each analysing a relevant theoretical perspective.

Concise, expertly edited contributions from leading academics and practitioners explore the social and psychological framework of the subject, the stages in the human life cycle, the reasons for social work, the nature of social work practice, its core components, and its theoretical foundations. As with previous editions, the coverage is subdivided into discrete and easy-to-assimilate sections, making this an invaluable reference for students throughout an entire social work programme. Each chapter lists the key points to remember and includes questions for discussion in addition to judiciously selected recommendations for further reading. More experienced readers will fi nd this updated new edition an informative source on the central issues and debates in contemporary social work.

Martin Davies is Emeritus Professor at the University of East Anglia, UK, where he taught the university's Social Work in Society course for 20 years. He came to UEA after a distinguished research career in the UK Home Offi ce and at Manchester University, where he taught criminology, research methods, and research applications. The founding director of UEA's graduate programme in Social Work, he has authored and edited 12 books, including the previous editions of this volume, as well as more than a hundred scholarly papers.