Social Work Theory in Practice

I have been a social worker since 1992 and chose social work as a profession to challenge inequality and discrimination. I have worked mainly in childcare social work, and from 1995, specifically in fostering and adoption. I have worked in statutory, voluntary and independent social work and have worked in all four countries of the UK. I developed a specialism working with male carers, as well as caring for children on the autism spectrum. Having held a wide range of practice, training, reviewing and management roles, I am also a passionate educator. I am qualified to teach adults and children, have been an NVQ assessor and am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. I completed a PhD on foster fathers through Durham University, and joined Northumbria University's teaching team in 2013. I teach across all social work programmes, focusing particularly on social work assessments and interventions. I supervise PhD students, and I currently am principal investigator on an evaluation of simulation-based learning in social work programmes. I qualified as a social worker in 2001, and went on to practice in a variety of mental health settings. I became an Approved Social Worker (ASW) and later an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP). I developed a specialism in working with people diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and self-harming and suicidal behaviours. I qualified as a Best Interests Assessor (BIA), and went on to become a local authority Mental Capacity Act lead. From 2013 until its closure, I was a College of Social Work's accredited Expert Safeguarding Adults Practitioner. I left practice in 2013, to teach and research at Northumbria University. I teach across all qualifying and post qualifying social work programmes, focussing particularly on social work with adults, mental capacity, adult safeguarding and mental health. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I am currently completing a PhD, which explores how adult safeguarding is performed with people experiencing dementia.

Introduction Part I Theory: explaining the world and understanding our practice Chapter 1: Understanding theory in practice Chapter 2: Foundations of theory in social work Chapter 3: Economics, politics and the organisational delivery of social work Chapter 4: Critical and radical theories Chapter 5: Theories of human development Chapter 6: Theories of systems and relationships Chapter 7: Theories of risk and vulnerability Part II: Practice: using theory in our work with people Chapter 8: Applying theories in practice Chapter 9: Children and their families Chapter 10: Foster and Kinship Care Chapter 11: Offenders Chapter 12: Physical Disability Chapter 13: Mental Distress Chapter 14: Learning Disabilities and Autism Chapter 15: Older People

"Student performance after implementing Vantage is incredible...this is a really tangible way to see that." -- Karen Deeming "This is the smoothest student onboarding process I have ever experienced. Everything is syncing and the students were able to figure things out with almost no help from me." -- Echo Leaver "I am really excited to have tools that help motivate students to actually do the reading..." -- Emily Hopkins "My learners really enjoyed the SAGE Vantage experience. Many of them said it forced them to read, which aided in their comprehension...The feedback I received is that they all really enjoyed the interactive nature of the program, as well as the [number] of activities..." -- Daniel Amoruso "It really helps you wrap your head around what you're learning and come to a complete understanding of the course material." -- Aubrey Akins "I think that Vantage [is] an ideal system that will promote engagement of students." -- Linda Trautman "With Vantage, I set up my course in under 10 minutes, which is unheard of...I love Vantage!" -- Karin Machluf "Extremely valuable! Interactive, engaging and simple to use." -- Alyssa Salazar "I have used every other major digital platform that exists, and I can say that Vantage has no equal." -- William Parent "...Really going to deepen students' understanding and...boost their comprehension." -- Daniel Okamura This book provides a helpful overview of social work theory comprising theories from diverse disciplines. In line with the eclectic approach to theory, this comprehensive exploration of theories encourages social work students and practitioners to develop a holistic understanding of the experiences and/or behaviours of service users and carers in the current social context. However, theory is an essential and integral element of social work practice that tends to alienate or be overlooked by students and practitioners alike, as they find it difficult to see the relevance of abstract theory to reallife practice. By using the Theory Circle and case study examples as tools, readers can learn how to think theoretically and apply theories to practice. This book, hence, is a great resource for students and practitioners to refer back to as a guide to inform their practice. -- I-Hsuan Lin * China Journal of Social Work *