Best Practice with Older People: Social Work Stories

by Karen Jones, Susanna Watson

Overview

Social workers often have to handle a great deal of negativity in their working lives. This book celebrates social work practice at its most positive and influential and, in doing so, contributes to a growing literature on critical best practice.

Focused on 12 unique and compelling stories of social work with older people, the authors:

- Provide a fresh and realistic insight into life as a social worker, and the dilemmas and difficulties that practitioners typically face

- Illustrate how knowledge, theory and research are integrated in professional decision-making and action

- Show social workers analyzing their own cases and include reflective questions to help readers formulate their own learning and thereby develop their own practice

This book provides students on qualifying courses with an invaluable perspective on real life practice, and gives qualified practitioners the opportunity to reflect on and better their own practice.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350313965
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/30/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	402 KB

About the Author

KAREN JONES is former Principal Lecturer in Social Work at the University of the West of England, where she lead the post-qualifying award in adult social work. Karen has co-edited 'Best Practice in Social Work: Critical Perspectives' with Barry Cooper and Harry Ferguson, which was published by Palgrave in 2008. She is also joint author of the highly successful 'Surviving Your Social Work Placement' with Rob Lomax, Sarah Leigh and Chris Gay.

SUSANNA WATSON has been working as a social worker since 2001, specialising in work with adults with physical impairments and older people, as part of a community 'adult care' team. She has a particular interest in building bridges between practice and theory, promoting social work and in encouraging social workers to think critically and positively about what they do. Susanna contributed a chapter to 'Best Practice in Social Work: Critical Perspectives', under the pseudonym Alison Gardener.
KAREN JONES is former Principal Lecturer in Social Work at the University of the West of England, UK.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
The Shape of the Book
The Importance of the 'Best Practice' Approach
PART I: RELATIONSHIPS
2. Relationships: Introduction
3. Rachel and Michael: Careful Relationship Building
4. Sarah, John and Mary: a Carer Under Pressure
5. Eric, Len and Nina: Growing Older with a Learning Disability
PART II: WORKING CREATIVELY IN ORGANISATIONS
6. Working Creatively in Organisations: Introduction
7. Maya and Bill: Balancing the Personal and the Professional
8. Trish and Stella: Finding Creative Solutions
9. Sinead and Pauline: a Personal Budget
PART III: DIFFERENCE AND DISAGREEMENT
10. Difference and Disagreement: Introduction
11. Sue and Alice: Working with Complex Family Dynamics
12. Fiona, Jack and Esther: Supporting Unwise Decisions
13. Judy and Dorothy: the Older Person as Expert
PART IV: RIGHTS, RISKS AND GOOD JUDGEMENT
14. Rights, Risks and Good Judgement: Introduction
15. Nada and Joan: Making Difficult Decisions
16. Jane and Mr Wilson: Using Legal Powers
17. Matt and David: Positive Risk-taking
18. Conclusion
References.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This book makes an excellent case for social work with older people. By highlighting real practice examples, it brings to life the contribution of social workers to the lives of older men and women who use personal social services. I will confidently recommend this book to students and believe that it will become a valuable addition to the literature on social work with older people'. – Dr Mo Ray, Senior Lecturer, Keele University, UK

'Social work with older people is under threat from government doubts about social work, the priority given to work with children and uncertainty about what can be achieved by working with older people. This book is thus hugely important in terms of how it illustrates how social work can be of huge benefit to older people as well as rewarding for the social worker. It should be a 'must read' on all social work courses'. – Professor Robin means, University of the West of England, UK