Foundations of Evidence-based Social Work Practice


Book Description

Providing an introduction to evidence-based social work practice, this work offers an overview of the issues and interventions that encounter throughout the BSW or MSW program.




Sociology in America


Book Description

Though the word “sociology” was coined in Europe, the field of sociology grew most dramatically in America. Despite that disproportionate influence, American sociology has never been the subject of an extended historical examination. To remedy that situation—and to celebrate the centennial of the American Sociological Association—Craig Calhoun assembled a team of leading sociologists to produce Sociology in America. Rather than a story of great sociologists or departments, Sociology in America is a true history of an often disparate field—and a deeply considered look at the ways sociology developed intellectually and institutionally. It explores the growth of American sociology as it addressed changes and challenges throughout the twentieth century, covering topics ranging from the discipline’s intellectual roots to understandings (and misunderstandings) of race and gender to the impact of the Depression and the 1960s. Sociology in America will stand as the definitive treatment of the contribution of twentieth-century American sociology and will be required reading for all sociologists. Contributors: Andrew Abbott, Daniel Breslau, Craig Calhoun, Charles Camic, Miguel A. Centeno, Patricia Hill Collins, Marjorie L. DeVault, Myra Marx Ferree, Neil Gross, Lorine A. Hughes, Michael D. Kennedy, Shamus Khan, Barbara Laslett, Patricia Lengermann, Doug McAdam, Shauna A. Morimoto, Aldon Morris, Gillian Niebrugge, Alton Phillips, James F. Short Jr., Alan Sica, James T. Sparrow, George Steinmetz, Stephen Turner, Jonathan VanAntwerpen, Immanuel Wallerstein, Pamela Barnhouse Walters, Howard Winant




The Welfare of Children


Book Description

Takes a critical look at the child welfare system, finding that the emphasis on abuse has produced a system that serves largely as a last resort for only the worst and most dramatic cases in child welfare. This book is a blueprint for the comprehensive reform of the child welfare system.




Social Welfare


Book Description

Poverty, unemployment, limited access to health care: the litany of ills plaguing contemporary society seems endless, reflective of the pragmatic and philosophical battles waged to overcome what some perceive as insurmountable obstacles. What role has the state played in mitigating the effects of these harsh realities? Offering a comprehensive survey of past and present programs, Social Welfare considers the substance and results of government intervention. Shaped by the works of such distinguished figures as Martin Luther, Adam Smith, and Charles Darwin, this incisive text charts the progression of social welfare policy from inception to its current status. David Macarov links present policy to the convergence of five interacting motivations: mutual aid, religion, politics, economics, and ideology. In identifying these elements, Macarov assays the significance of each in determining the nature of social welfare and its future. Featuring chapter summaries and exercises, this intriguing introduction to social welfare policy and practice will involve and inform students of social work, political science, and sociology. "David Macarov has written a handy introductory social policy text for undergraduate that transcends the descriptive accounts of the social services that pervade the literature. Unlike many other introductory texts, Macarov does not seek to list the major social services and describe their functioning but focuses instead on the role of ideas and wider social forces in social welfare. The book is easy to read and thoroughly supported with recommendations for additional reading. It is a useful addition to the literature." --Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare




The Political Sociology of the Welfare State


Book Description

A comparative analysis of the political attitudes, values, aspirations, and identities of citizens in advanced industrial societies, this book focusses on the different ways in which social policies and national politics affect personal opinions on justice, political responsibility, and the overall trustworthiness of politicians.




South Bronx Battles


Book Description

Community activist Carolyn McLaughlin takes us on a journey of the South Bronx through the eyes of its community members. Facing burned-out neighborhoods of the 1970s, the community fought back. McLaughlin illustrates the spirit of the community in creating a vibrant, diverse culture and its decades-long commitment to develop nonprofit housing and social-services, and to advocate for better education, health care, and a healthier environment. For the South Bronx to remain a safe haven for poor families, maintaining affordable housing is the central—but most challenging—task. South Bronx Battles is the comeback story of a community that was once in crisis but now serves as a beacon for other cities to rebuild, while keeping their neighborhoods affordable.




Perspectives on Health and Human Rights


Book Description

This anthology of articles collected by a cast of award-winning scholars in the field of public health illustrates that promoting and protecting human rights is fundamental to promoting and protecting health. New issues covered in this volume include: emerging technologies; family and health; responding to violence; and methods and strategies.




Social Development


Book Description

Walking through social development’s key theoretical principles and practice strategies, this book shows how it promotes peoples’ wellbeing not only in the Global South, where it first emerged, but in the Western countries as well. It covers: Definitions and an historical evolution of social development Key theoretical debates around social well-being, human rights and social justice Social development practice such as human capital interventions, community development and cooperatives, asset building, employment creation policies and programmes, microenterprises and social planning among others Future challenges; global poverty, international aid and trade, and global inequality, conflict and injustice. Complete with international examples drawn from around the world, Social Development: Theory and Practice demonstrates how social development theory translates into practical application. This book is essential reading for students in development studies, social policy, public administration and social work, and for policymakers and development practitioners everywhere. James Midgley is the Harry and Riva Specht Professor of Public Social Services at the School of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley.




Colonialism and Welfare


Book Description

The British Empire is part covered three centuries, five continents and onequarter of the world's population. Its legacy continues, shaping the societies and welfare policies of much of the modern world. In this book, for the first time, this legacy is explored and analysed. Colonialism and Welfare reveals that social welfare policies, often discriminatory, and challenging to those colonised were introduced and imposed by the ?mother country.' It highlights that there was great diversity in rationales and impacts across the empire, but past developments had a major impact on the development of much of the world's population. Contributions from every continent explore both the diversity and the common themes in the imperial experience. They examine the legacy of colonial welfare - a subject largely neglected by both historians of empire and social policy analysts. This original book shows that social welfare today cannot be understood without understanding the legacy of the British Empire. Academics, specialised students with an interest in comparative social policy, history of social policy, imperial history, colonialism, and contemporary third world social policy will find this book invaluable to their studies.




Social Work Practice


Book Description

Pardeck demonstrates that the ecological approach to social work practice stresses effective intervention, and that effective intervention occurs through not only working with individuals, but also with the familial, social, and cultural factors that impact their social functioning. The power of the ecological approach, through focusing on multiple factors for assessment and intervention, is that it integrates empirically based theories from various fields including social work, psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Pardeck provides an orientation to the role of social work practitioners within the human services. He differentiates the unique contributions of social work and explains them in terms of the needs and goals of an ecological approach to practice. An ecological approach to practice stresses that effective social work intervention occurs through not only working with individuals, but also with the familial, social, and cultural factors that impact their social functioning. The power of the ecological approach, through focusing on multiple factors for assessment and intervention, is that it integrates empirically based theories from various fields including social work, psychology, and anthropology. The book represents an effort to define the goals, commitments, and approaches that have emerged out of the history of social work and to relate them to similar concepts and values that are central to an ecological approach to practice. Three pervasive and unifying themes run through the book. One is the constant commitment to goals of facilitating human development. Pardeck suggests this is a central ethic that defines and distinguishes an ecological approach to social work practice. The second theme is an affirmation of the basic utility of a systems approach in conceptualizing and intervening in human needs, concerns, and problems. The ecological perspective views human beings as social organisms engaged in patterns of relationships that nurture or inhibit this basic humanity. The third theme is an interactionist view of the importance of person-environment fit as a central dynamic in human functioning. The traditional intra-psychic aspects of human behavior have tended to obscure the immense importance of both nurturing and potentially damaging forces at work in the social environment. This volume will be of considerable interest to social work educators and practitioners as well as their research libraries.