Social Work: A Critical Approach to Practice - Softcover

Fook, Jan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1446200523 ISBN 13: 9781446200520

Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2012

Synopsis

Social work is a human profession founded on social justice. It is difficult however to negotiate this in the constantly-changing context of the twenty-first century. Now in it′s Second Edition, this book considers the critical tradition of social work and updates it with postmodern thinking. Jan Fook draws on critical reflection to help social workers deliver flexible, responsible and responsive practice and to celebrate the ageless ideals of the profession. Jan Fook draws on her own experiences to relate theoretical ideas to real life. Summaries, exercises and further reading are also included in each chapter.

About this title

About the Author

Jan Fook initially trained as a social worker but has been an academic for over 35 years. She has worked in Australia, Canada, Norway and the UK, ad has held academic positions in social work, continuing professional development, interprofessional working and also education. She is currently Professor of Higher Education Pedagogy at Leeds Trinity University in the UK. Her ongoing interest is in professional education and research on professional practice. Over the last 20 years she has focused on developing critical reflection, and has conducted many workshops with professionals around the world.

She is probably most well known for her work on critical social work and critical reflection. Her research work involves the empirical research of professional practice, and developing better methods for representing the complexity of this. In particular, she is currently engaged in developing critical reflection as a method for researching experience. She has published approximately 100 book chapters and articles. Her 14 books include: Radical Casework (Allen & Unwin); Professional Expertise (with Martin Ryan & Linette Hawkins, Whiting & Birch); Social Work: Critical Theory and Practice (Sage), Practising Critical Reflection (with Fiona Gardner, Open University Press) and Researching Critical Reflection (with Val Collington, Fiona Ross, Gillian Ruch and Linden West, Routledge). 

Review

′The strength of this book lies in its coherent exposition of a critical stance

towards both technocratic and structural social work, offering something

strong and coherent in their place. It expounds an approach to critical practice

that is both theoretically grounded and accessible to students and practitioners.

Students can engage with the issues and use Fook’s work to understand and

develop their practice differently′
Dr Carolyn Taylor

Department of Applied Social Science, University of Lancaster

′This second edition is a very welcome addition to the library shelf. Aimed at social work students and practitioners, this revised volume identifies the features of a critical approach to social work practice. These include commitments to anti-oppressive practice and social change, and the recognition that personal problems can be traced back to the socio-economic contents of individual lives. Any reader - from new student to seasoned practitioner - will find something here to sharpen up their critical thinking and the way they work′ -
Professional Social Work

Edition details

• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1446200523
• ISBN 13: 9781446200520
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 232