Geraldine Macdonald

Where did professional social work originate from? How effective are social work interpretations in the lives of vulnerable people? A Textbook of Social Work provides a comprehensive discussion of social work practice and its evidence-base. It strikes a balance between the need for social workers to understand the social, economic, cultural, psychological and interpersonal factors which give rise to clients’ problems, and the need for them to know how best to respond with practical measures. Divided into three parts: the text covers the history and of social work as a movement and profession in the first, and social work methods and approaches in the second. The final part looks at the major specialisms, including, among others, chapters on: Children and families Youth Offenders and substance misusers Social work and mental health Disabled people Older People Providing a comprehensive guide to conceptual and methodological issues in social work and containing plentiful case studies and examples, this book is an essential read for social work students, as well as a valuable resource for practitioners and academics.

Where did professional social work originate from? How effective are social work interpretations in the lives of vulnerable people? A Textbook of Social Work provides a comprehensive discussion of social work practice and its evidence-base. It strikes a balance between the need for social workers to understand the social, economic, cultural, psychological and interpersonal factors which give rise to clients’ problems, and the need for them to know how best to respond with practical measures. Divided into three parts: the text covers the history and of social work as a movement and profession in the first, and social work methods and approaches in the second. The final part looks at the major specialisms, including, among others, chapters on: Children and families Youth Offenders and substance misusers Social work and mental health Disabled people Older People Providing a comprehensive guide to conceptual and methodological issues in social work and containing plentiful case studies and examples, this book is an essential read for social work students, as well as a valuable resource for practitioners and academics.

Why are some children abused or neglected? What can be done to protect and help them? A key element of informed decision making is knowing what sort of problems are amenable to what sort of intervention, in what circumstances, and with what degree of certainty. Effective Interventions for Child Abuse and Neglect provides a thorough and detailed review of the available research, and makes suggestions as to how this evidence can be incorporated into professional child protection work. Geraldine Macdonald first considers the range of evaluative tools available, with illustrations from existing research studies and reviews, and appraises their respective merits and limitations. She then describes the interplay of a range of causal factors in abuse and neglect, and considers different types of maltreatment and their potential consequences. Evidence for effective preventative and therapeutic measures are considered next, followed by a final section on accurate assessment and the use of formal tools in risk management.