Social Work and Human Development

Social work engages with people across the life course, and social workers are expected to work with groups of people at very different stages of their life. Developing a thorough understanding of human growth to encompass the whole of the life course is therefore a central part of all qualifying social work training and practice. 

A clear favourite among students and lecturers, this bestselling book introduces the main theoretical models in a clear and accessible way before applying them to various stages of the life course. From infants to older adults, the author uses case studies and practice examples to bring social work methods, skills and principles to life.

Janet Walker is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Lincoln. She has a particular interest in the development of social care training, having managed local authority social services training prior to joining the University. Janet also has considerable experience of working in children′s services as a social worker and a manager.

Nigel Horner is Head of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln, where he teaches social work history, theory and methods, residential child care and ageing and older people. He began working in a London Borough Children’s Home in 1972, before studying Sociology at Durham University. After a period as a Community Worker, he qualified in Social Work from Glasgow University in 1980, and thereafter worked in Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Fostering and Youth Offending settings. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy.