Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The first new social work history to be written in over twenty years, Social Work Practice and Social Welfare Policy in the United States presents a history of the field from the perspective of elites, service providers, and recipients. This book uniquely chronicles and analyzes the development of social work practice theory on two levels: from the top down, looking at the writings, conference presentations, and training course material developed by leaders of the profession; and from the bottom up, looking at case records for evidence of techniques that were actually applied by social workers in the field. Additionally, the author takes a careful and critical look at the development of social work methods, setting it apart from existing histories that generally accept the effectiveness of the field's work. Addressing CSWE EPAS standards at both the BSW and MSW levels, Social Work Practice and Social Welfare Policy in the United States is ideal both as a primary text for history of social work/social welfare classes and a supplementary text for introduction to social work/social welfare or social welfare policy and services classes.
Synopsis
The first new social work history written in over twenty years, Social Work Practice and Social Welfare Policy in the United States identifies, from a historical perspective, major challenges facing the social work profession. Tapping into archival data, the text describes the evolution of social work practice theories and techniques, and discusses social welfare policy and social work practice from the usual "top down" perspective of elites (policymakers, administrators, academics) while adding the "bottom up" perspective of service recipients and social work practitioners.