A Practical Guide to Community Social Work Practice in theUK

There has been a rebirth of interest in bringing community back into social work, but what does community social work mean when applied to practice? What are the opportunities in a landscape dominated by shrinking budgets with their attendant procedural and risk-obsessed assessment and care management models?

In this accessibly written book, Colin Turbett explores the erratic history of community social work. He goes on to demonstrate through contemporary examples how this preventative and relationship-based model can work for the individuals and communities served, and also provide an answer to the recruitment and retention issues adversely affecting mainstream settings.

Colin Turbett is a retired social worker and active author based in the West of Scotland, with an interest in radical practice. He is an active member of the Common Weal think tank Care Reform Group, and the trade union Unison Scotland’s Social Work Issues Group. He has supported various local authority initiatives promoting community-based practice, including that of Fife Council.