Decision Making in Social Work

Social workers face diverse and complex pressures when making professional decisions in which ethical, legal, financial, organizational and other considerations have to be carefully weighed. This book offers a framework for making decisions, providing a guide for the management of uncertainty and complexity. Avoiding technical procedural solutions by taking a professional and reflective approach, it provides the reader with a clear understanding of the process involved in identifying solutions and helps them to manage this process in a focused and constructive way.

At a time when accountability and the avoidance of risk are increasingly demanded of social work practitioners, the ability to make clear and reasoned professional decisions is essential. This welcome new edition provides a supportive framework for making social work judgements and assessments based on a structured and practical approach.

Assessing the social, organizational and psychological backdrops which frame all decisions, this timely text explores:
? the key principles and goals which inform decision making
? the pressures of making decisions within interprofessional settings
? reflexive approaches to analysis, decision making and outcome evaluation
? the complex relationship between sound decisions and the attainment of planned outcomes

Woven through with practice scenarios applicable to the many facets of social work, this text emphasizes the importance of good decision making to high-quality social work practice. Reassuringly clear throughout, this new addition to the BASW Practical Social Work series is core reading for all involved in the field of social work, whether as students, academics, practitioners or managers.