Professor Mark Hughes

As a social worker, you could work in a variety of different organisations, each with their own purpose, culture and structure. Understanding and examining the complex issues involved in the management and organisational context of social work practice is crucial for practitioners and managers. This book helps you to develop strategies for ethical, reflective and relational practice, covers key themes including leadership, supervision, risk and decision making and emphasises the importance of active participation for positive change. Thoroughly updated, and with new Practice Examples demonstrating the relationship between theory and practice, this is essential reading for both undergraduate and postgraduate students of social work, as well as practising social workers. 

This essential guide to study skills takes social work students through every step of their degree journey, providing them with the academic tools they will need to thrive along the way. Inventively informed by the insights and reflections of qualifying students, the book offers effective guidance that is grounded in real experience of the social work degree. It is particularly suited to those in their early years of study and supports students as 'social workers in the making'. The book covers a comprehensive range of the core study skills, including: -Time management -Literature searches -Engaging with research -Responding to new styles of social work learning and teaching -Critical thinking -Academic writing and -Presentations With reflective questions, handy practical tips and links to helpful websites, this accessible handbook is the perfect study companion for every student on the path to professional qualification.

'Essential reading for practitioners, educators and researchers within the general field of social work with older people.' - From the foreword by Mark Lymbery, Associate Professor of Social Work, University of Nottingham

The reality of our ageing population means all social workers need to be confident in working with older people. Social workers are engaged in ongoing practice with older people in a variety of contexts, from hospitals, aged care assessment teams and mental health services to employment services, housing services and rehabilitation services.

Older People, Ageing and Social Work draws on theoretical, research, policy and practice knowledge to inform contemporary practice with older people. Hughes and Heycox demonstrate that high level professional skills are required in this area as well as detailed knowledge of the issues affecting older people's lives. They argue that practitioners need to take into account the social and emotional needs of the older people they work with, as well as the practical and administrative aspects of their roles. They emphasise understanding the diversity of the older population and enabling older people to make the most of their strengths and capacities.

Description: The changing context of social work and human service practice means that now more than ever we need critical and reflexive practitioners who are able to work purposefully and strategically to effect change. It is a challenging environment but it is also an exciting one. There are new opportunities for forging links between different professional and occupational groups to pursue social justice and quality practice with individuals, groups and communities.
Social Work and Human Service Practice 5th Edition continues to contribute to the development of educated, committed and socially aware practitioners. The authors continue to emphasise the purposeful nature of social work and human service practice, and the need for a critical stance in analysing and responding to individual, group and community issues.

"What role does social work play in human service organizations? How do social workers experience and initiate organizational change? How can they engage and negotiate with managers and other professionals? How does a social worker deal with ethical and interpersonal conflicts within organizations? 'Organisations and Management in Social Work' grounds these complex questions in a comprehensive and accessible overview of the organizational context of social work practice. The book demonstrates how effective service delivery is dependent on organizational and managerial activities and procedures, and emphasizes the importance of critiquing existing organizational structures." -- Publisher's website.

"This lively and engaging book is an adaptation of the bestselling introductory social work book available in Australia. This edition has been thoroughly revised to reflect wider changes that have characterized social work training and practice in recent years. It offers readers an essential grounding in the knowledge, values, and skills needed for successful completion of their degree.
Key Features:
- Comprehensive content - includes discussion of theoretical perspectives, policy; assessment; intervention, the ethics and values framework; and practice-learning.
- A student-friendly approach - includes case-studies, chapter summaries, further reading sections, and discussion questions.
- A multi-professional perspective - recognises the experiences of all those working across the field of social care and incorporates service-user's voices.
- Practice-oriented - offers specific guidance to overcome challenges and provides an effective framework for practice.

This authoritative textbook will be an essential guide to the challenges and concepts underpinning social work practice. It offers a flavor of what social work entails and engages with recent debates about the nature of practice. It will be an invaluable text for social work trainees, and will also be useful reading for post-qualifying students and practitioners." -- Publisher's website.