This page provides links via Amazon.co.uk to some excellent social work books. Please press on links to explore for more details or order online through Amazon.

Anti-oppressive Practice: Social Care and the Law
This work is designed for practitioners and carers in social-welfare services to help them make the links between the law and their work. Using case studies and exercises, the book aims to help readers to develop competence in the knowledge, values and skills of using the law in relation to practice. By combining anti-oppressive practice and the principles which inform the legislation used in the delivery of services in the social-care field, the book points the way to a new practice. The authors draw on their personal and work experiences to understand the issues of power and oppression and how the law can be used to inform the development of anti-oppressive practice.

Anti-oppressive Social Work Theory and Practice
This work, by one of the leading theorists of social work, tackles a subject of crucial importance to students and practitioners alike: how social workers can enable their clients to challenge and transcend the manifold oppressions that disempower them (whether through poverty, disability, mental illness, etc.). It moves from a discussion of social work's purpose and ambitions to an exposition of theory and, from there, to the practice arenas of working with individuals, in groups, within organisations, and within a wider social and political context.

Anti-racist Social Work
In a fully updated new edition, Anti-Racist Social Work explores the reasons why racism continues to be perpetuated in social work on both personal and structural levels. It identifies the three key forms that racism assumes - personal, institutional and cultural racism - and outlines the complex and dynamic processes by which these interact and reinforce each other.

Anti-racist Probation Practice
This work examines the issues of racism and anti-racism within the probation practice. It looks at racism in prison and throughcare, different working relationships, opportunities and dilemmas, and the concept and development of equal opportunities.

Anti-discriminatory Practice 3rd ed
This new edition of this text incorporates new debates and developments in the theory and practice of anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive social work, as well as many new references and a new preface by the author. Building on the success of previous editions in its clarity, breadth, concision and applied focus, it offers a starting point and refresher for students and practitioners alike.

Challenging Racism: A Handbook on the Human Rights Act
This is a practical guide to using the new Human Rights Act to take legal action against incidences of racism. Each chapter is written by an expert from within the field and provides information on how the new act relates to existing legislation, commentary on the relevant parts of the act, examples of cases that could be pursued, and analysis of the problems that could arise.

Critical Practice in Social Work
This social work text is conceived as a complementary volume to "Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates", although it is usable as a stand-alone introduction in its own right. Focusing on social work values, on areas of particular practice (ranging across work with children, families and vulnerable adults) and on management issues relevant to all social workers whether they are managers or not, it offers an overview both of the practicalities of social work and the principles underpinning practice.

Empowering Practice in Social Care
This work provides a simple exposition of the concepts and value-base underpinning community-care policy and practice. Written in a jargon-free style, it goes beyond the "how-to" approach of much of the existing social-care literature and examines the principles and values on which professionals involved in welfare provision base their work. It addresses issues of power and partnership in professional practice and identifies dilemmas arising from the relationship between needs, rights and resources, between autonomy, paternalism and empowerment. It tackles the choices and uncertainties faced by those making decisions about service provision, and offers survival strategies to professionals under stress.

Ethics and Values in in Social Work (BASW Practical Social Work Series)
The second edition of this book has been substantially revised and updated to take account of policy developments and changes in social work practice in the UK and other countries. These include the continuing trend towards the mixed economy of welfare, evidence based practice and the implications for professional ethics in social work. New case studies from trainee and experienced social workers are included and a new chapter covers character and relationship based approaches to ethics.

Modern Social Work Theory: A Critical Introduction
An established best-seller, Modern Social Work Theory has been substantially rewritten to offer a thoroughly up-to-date, comprehensive and critical review of social work theory that draws more fully on world literature. It includes two completely new chapters on social and community development and on anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive theory, as well as more substantial coverage of group and residential work. It also contains new material on the social construction perspective, on postmodern views of social work theory and on the relationship between theory and practice.

Practising Social Work Law (BASW Practical Social Work Series)
This book explores the relationship between the law and social work: the social context of welfare law, the powers and duties social workers have, the practice dilemmas that confront them in applying the law and the conflicting imperatives that underpin it. It helps practitioners use legal knowledge by applying a decision-making framework to practice situations and by clarifying the values and skills for effective practice. This substantially revised and extended second edition updates developments in social work law and provides an even more comprehensive resource for students and practitioners alike.

Racism and Mental Health: Prejudice and Prejudice and Suffering
This title offers insights into manifestations of contemporary racism in Britain; racial and cultural identity and the significance of these in psychotherapy; and the inequalities in provision of mental health services ethnic communities.

Social Work Practice
'The book has always been a perfect jumping off point for students... Social Work Practice maintains its bestseller status with this edition.' - Rachel Wooler, Community Care This third edition of Veronica Coulshed's classic text retains the strengths of the original text but has been meticulously revised to reflect recent changes in social work. Including new material on empowering practice, user involvement, community work and community social work, Joan Orme has also increased the book's relevance for workers in the criminal justice service. The original format is maintained, with case examples illustrating the application of theory and practice throughout. An extensive bibliography and suggestions for further reading will also ensure that this remains the most popular introduction to social work available.

Social Work Skills: A Practice Handbook
This text provides a detailed description of over 50 social work skills, with case examples of their creative use in evidence-based practice. The book takes as its starting point the view that social work is a skilled activity but one that is uniquely located in "no-win" situations, caught in a tension between conflicting and sometimes incompatible needs and expectations. These tensions call for critical thinking and balanced and judicious decision-making across a range of fundamental issues such as the rights of parents and the needs of the child; acknowledging the needs of carers alongside those of their "dependents"; weighing individual freedom against the risk to society. In order to address often severe and enduring problems and complex situations social workers need to have at their fingertips a "toolbox" of practice skills in order to help people to move their lives forward. Giving a name to these skills and being able to identify and demonstrate their effective use in evidence-based practice is a central theme of this text and one which provides an important and timely contribution to the literature on social work theory and practice.

Social Work: Themes, Issues and Critical Debates 2nd ed
The second edition of this text has been thoroughly revised and updated to ensure that it continues to provide a comprehensive survey of social work practice and theory. New chapters covering the changing nature of social work and advocacy and empowerment approaches have been included, and the editors have added a new conclusion in which they reflect on the past, present and future of social work. All of the chapters have been revised to cover the most recent debates and developments in research and practice.

Tackling Institutional Racism:Anti-racist Policies and Social Work Education and Training
A description and analysis of the development of anti-racist social work education and training, focusing on the innovative anti-racist developments of CCETSW's professional training programme. It explores the context in which these initiatives developed during the 1980s which pointed to the dreadful record which social work had with respect to "race", and its failure to provide a service which was suitably responsive to the needs of black Britons. The book moves on to a broader debate which analyzes the social, political and economic conditions which led to the development of anti-racist social work policies and requirements, and the conditions which led to the subsequent retreat of professional social work bodies from such policies and requirements during the 1990s. As such, it offers a broader structural analysis of the changing nature of the relationship between "race" and social work education and training. In the process issues such as "political correctness" and "identity politics" are critically explored, and the implications of these political processes on the anti-racist policy agenda are assessed. The analysis reflects on both the possibilities and the limitations of establishing anti-racist policies.

Understanding Social Work: Preparing for Practice
Social work is both a demanding and rewarding profession. This book provides a helpful introduction to the nature of social work, its legal and policy base, the knowledge, skills and values involved, and the challenges and pitfalls practitioners face. Intended as a guide for those considering or beginning a career in social work, this text should prove useful to anyone wanting a better understanding of social work and its significant contribution to tackling social problems.