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Social Work Methods and Skills

The Essential Foundations of Practice

  • Textbook
Social Work Methods and Skills cover

Social Work Methods and Skills

The Essential Foundations of Practice

  • Textbook
Quantity
Available on 10 Dec 2026
£28.79

Available for purchase via Bloomsbury etextbooks on publication date

This title is available for inspection copy requests

Description

This innovative textbook takes an integrated approach to the core theories, methods and skills at the heart of all good social work practice, demonstrating how practice both shapes, and is shaped, by professional purpose.

Responding to the latest contemporary debates, advances and emerging social challenges in the field, this five-part book:

- Covers a broad and diverse range of social work practice methods, from working with individuals and families through to community work, policy practice and system change.
- Underlines the fundamental dimensions shaping the practitioner and their practice context, equipping the reader with how to form effective working relationships and tackle competing inter-agency priorities.
- Engages with core theories, including eco social work and de-colonized perspectives.
- Provides a dedicated section on communication skills, an important topic integral to all areas of practice.
- Emphasizes the importance of self-care, along with professional boundaries in achieving good critically reflective practice.
- Includes a range of exercises, examples and review questions to help readers consolidate their learning.

This book offers a step-by-step discussion of topics that will empower social work students and practitioners alike to critically develop and refine their professional toolkit for purposeful and innovative intervention, reinforcing an understanding of how to achieve effective professional practice.

Accessibility Information

Additional accessibility information

  • EPUB 3.0
  • Conforms with the requirements of EPUB Accessibility Spec v1.1
  • WCAG level AA
  • WCAG v2.2 compliant
  • accessibility@bloomsbury.com

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The publication contains no hazards

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  • No accessibility features offered by the reading system, device or reading software are disabled or otherwise unusable with the product
  • Has alternative text descriptions for images

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

Part 1: The Practitioner in Context
2. A Dynamic Approach to Methods and Skills
3. Critical Reflection in Practice

Part 2: Professional Communication: Knowledge and Skills
4. The Foundations of Communication
5. Communication and Technology
6. Communication in Teams

Part 3: Working with Individuals
7. Working with Individuals to Resolve Life's Problems
8. Working with Involuntary Service Users

Part 4: Working with Families and Groups
9. Working with Families
10. Working with Groups

Part 5: Community Work, Policy Practice and Systems Change
11. Community Work
12. Policy Practice and Systems Change
13. Conclusion: Creating Change

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published 10 Dec 2026
Format Ebook (Epub & Mobi)
Edition 2nd
Pages 320
ISBN 9781350415416
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Illustrations 14 bw illus
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Karen Healy

Karen Healy is Professor of Social Work in the Sch…

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