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How can sociology contribute to positive social work practice? This introductory textbook uses pedagogical features such as chapter summaries, numerous examples, a glossary, activities and annotated further reading.
This excellent textbook introduces the social work student to the field of sociology, illustrating how sociology is connected to and fundamental to effective social work practice. Each chapter applies theory to practice and is uniquely co-written by a sociologist, social worker and service user. A wide range of topics and subjects relevant to social work are covered, including: -Gender -Class -Ethnicity and race -Ageing -Health -Intimacies -Social exclusion -Crime and deviance -Communities -Disability The book comes with access to an exciting companion website offering the reader downloads, web links, powerpoint slides and case studies. Every chapter of the book further includes further case studies, along with lots of clear definitions of terms, and reflection points, making this book the essential introductory text for all social work students.
Sociological perspectives and their application to social work are an inherent part of the QAA benchmark statements in the social work degree. In addition, graduates must understand how sociological perspectives can be used to dissect societal and structural influences on human behaviour at individual, group and community levels. This fully-revised second edition includes a new chapter on social class and welfare and is mapped to the new Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work.
Sociology can help students understand why and how so many of the problems their service users face occur in the first place, helping them choose effective ways to communicate and make informed decisions on how their needs can be fully met. This book offers students a framework to explore how their professional responsibility to understanding sociology can be realised in every aspect of their work with a diverse range of service user groups including children and families, adults, older people, people with learning disabilities and people suffering from mental distress. The book takes students step-by-step through the theoretical grounding, what sociology is, how it is relevant to everyday social work practice, and what are the key aspects of sociological theory that need to be understood.
Sociology for Social Work addresses the relevance of sociological concepts to social work practice, arguing that a lack of understanding of the ways in which social work fits into society can lead to impoverished social work practice
Sociology and Social Work: Perspectives and Problems focuses on the relationship between sociology and social work, providing a sociological understanding of the problems social workers face. This book begins with an introduction to sociology and social work, followed by a discussion on the nature of a sociological perspective. The sociological approach to family and kinship, analysis of the community, social stratification, and social deviance are also elaborated. This text emphasizes child rearing, language, and social class, including childhood as a preparation for class membership and changes in the stratification system. The social functions of social work in relation to social control and social change are likewise reviewed. This compilation concludes with a review of the professionalization and organizational context of social work and problems arising from the nature of social work and sociology. This publication is a good reference for students and researchers interested in the perspectives and problems related to sociology and social work.
Discussing the relationship between social work and sociology, this book explores how the two have become more and more divided, moving from one single discipline, to two separate, but related, fields. Both sociology and social work focus on social problems, social structure, social integration and how individuals respond to and live within cultural and structural constraints. Today, both disciplines face the possibility of losing some of their most important characteristics to individualising trends, the disappearance of the importance of ‘the social’ and pressure towards solely evidence-based knowledge. In addition to casting light on areas that have been in the shadows of the mainstream narrative, the contributions to this book will raise new questions, contributing to continuing discussions between and within each discipline. This book was originally published as a special issue of Nordic Social Work Research.
Trying to understand how the world looks through the eyes of individuals and groups and how it shapes the ways they think and act is something social workers do all the time. It is what social theorists do too. This book identifies and explains in a highly accessible manner the absolute value of social theory for social work. Drawing on the theoretical ideas and perspectives of a wide range of classical and modern social theorists, the book demonstrates the insights their work can bring to bear on a wide range of social work practice scenarios, issues and debates. Departing with the work of the classical theorists, the book covers a diverse range of theoretical traditions including phenomenology, symbolic interactionism, Norbert Elias, Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, feminism and globalization theory. Putting to work ideas from these different perspectives, a range of social work scenarios, issues and debates are opened up and explored. The final chapter brings together the various theoretical strands, and critically considers the contribution they can make towards realizing core social work values in a rapidly globalizing world. Demonstrating exactly how and in what ways social theory can make important and enduring contributions to social work, Social Theory for Social Work is essentialial reading for social work students, practitioners and professionals alike.
How does a social work student make the connection between sociological knowledge and day-to-day social work procedures? Sociology for Social Workers provides an introduction to sociological ideas and research and places it firmly into the context of social work practice. It takes the issues that sociology addresses and uses them to show how social work can be better informed and improved. Each chapter provides full referencing, so that students and social work practitioners can follow up on primary sources to pursue and develop the most useful specific themes and ideas.
Sociological social work is a lifelong social work practice which is animated by a sociological perspective. Social workers 'shorthand' orientations such as 'strengths perspective', 'task centred' or 'humanistic' (to name but a few), as a way to identify their philosophical and theoretical approaches in professional life. Whilst some texts have examined sociology for social work, this text instead proposes that sociological social work is a legitimate and theoretically rich orientation, and this book demonstrates what sociological social work looks like in our rapidly changing world. This text will equip students and practitioners with a way to think sociologically, not just while they are studying, but as an ever present reference for making sense of social work purpose and how this is realised in a transforming world. This follows an established tradition in social work literature, but this book elevates and names the importance of this approach, which we argue is critically needed if social work is to achieve its agenda in transformative social, political economic and environmental contexts. The current landscape in which we live is one that is characterised by rapid changes which have implications for the life experiences of those with whom social workers work, social justice advocacy agendas, and for fulfilling the purpose of social work more generally. This book is essential reading for those looking to keep up with these changes.
