Social Work: An Introduction

Social Work: An Introduction is designed to help your students make the best start in their academic and professional careers. Mapped throughout to the most up-to-date professional standards, the book covers the full range of knowledge and skills students need to gain in the early stages of their social work course and as they prepare to go out on placement.

Key Learning Features:

Key Themes and Chapter Introductions – to set the scene and place each chapter in context.

Case Studies and Practice Vignettes – illustrate how theory, knowledge and policy translate to real-life practice. Also help students consider the service-user’s experience and develop a holistic approach to care.

Exercises, Activities and Reflective Questions - independent learning tasks to help students apply theory to their practice, and to develop their skills of critical reflection

Critical Thinking Boxes – support your students in their journey towards becoming critically reflexive practitioners.

Visit the companion website to access a range of resources to support both lecturers and students, including:

Vodcasts and podcasts from students, lecturers, service users and authors to introduce key topics to audio and visual learners

Activities and case studies from different fields and settings to show how theory translates into real life practice

Selected SAGE journal articles to help take learning to the next level

Up-to-date links to codes of ethics, frameworks and other useful resources.

 

Professor Joyce Lishman is now retired, and was previously Head of the School of Applied Social Studies, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK. She was also General Editor of the Research Highlights in Social Work series for many years.

Chris Yuill is a sociologist at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, whose work focuses on the sociology of health and the sociology of urban experiences. In addition to a variety of journal publications and research reports he has written and co-edited a number of textbooks for SAGE, one of his most recent being Sociology for Social Work co-edited with Alastair Gibson. Other texts include Understanding the Sociology of Health: An Introduction with Anne-Marie Barry, which is now in its third edition and has also been translated into Chinese. Chris has also served two terms on the executive of the British Sociological Association.

Alastair Gibson graduated with an MA in History before becoming frustrated as a hospital administrator and deciding to move into the more challenging and rewarding practice of social work. He worked in Aberdeen and Gateshead in a variety of health care social work settings and then taught at RGU. Developing his enthusiasm for inter-professional practice, he was a founder member of CAIPE and helped develop shared training for social work, health, education and police trainees. He has thoroughly enjoyed teaching Human Growth and Behaviour as well as being Course Leader of the BA (Hons) Social Work by Distance Learning before retiring in 2009. He is now an independent practice teacher.