Sociology can help students understand why and how so many of the problems their service users face occur in the first place, helping them choose effective ways to communicate and make informed decisions on how their needs can be fully met. This book offers students a framework to explore how their professional responsibility to understanding sociology can be realised in every aspect of their work with a diverse range of service user groups including children and families, adults, older people, people with learning disabilities and people suffering from mental distress. The book takes students step-by-step through the theoretical grounding, what sociology is, how it is relevant to everyday social work practice, and what are the key aspects of sociological theory that need to be understood.

Sociological perspectives and their application to social work are an inherent part of the QAA benchmark statements in the social work degree. In addition, graduates must understand how sociological perspectives can be used to dissect societal and structural influences on human behaviour at individual, group and community levels. This fully-revised second edition includes a new chapter on social class and welfare and is mapped to the new Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work.

Sociology offers fascinating insights into social life that tell us so much about people and society. But what can we do with those insights? How can we put them to good use? That is exactly what this book is all about. It explores the practical value of sociology, how sociological understanding can be of help in a variety of settings. Neil Thompson’s wealth of experience in using sociology in practice comes shining through in this clearly written and accessible text that succeeds in conveying complex ideas without oversimplifying them. Key concepts are explained and clear links are drawn with how the ideas can be used to inform professional practice and cast light on a wide range of situations across all sectors of working life, and in our personal lives too. So, whether you are involved in the helping professions or any other occupation where success depends on having a good understanding of people; a student of sociology wanting to put your learning into practice; or simply interested in how sociology can help address social issues, this book offers a solid foundation of understanding. It is an ideal text for anyone seeking to use sociological ideas to make a positive difference.

This excellent textbook introduces the social work student to the field of sociology, illustrating how sociology is connected to and fundamental to effective social work practice. Each chapter applies theory to practice and is uniquely co-written by a sociologist, social worker and service user. A wide range of topics and subjects relevant to social work are covered, including: -Gender -Class -Ethnicity and race -Ageing -Health -Intimacies -Social exclusion -Crime and deviance -Communities -Disability The book comes with access to an exciting companion website offering the reader downloads, web links, powerpoint slides and case studies. Every chapter of the book further includes further case studies, along with lots of clear definitions of terms, and reflection points, making this book the essential introductory text for all social work students.

This concise, user-friendly book by award-winning sociology professor Stephen F. Steele of Anne Arundel Community College and Jammie Price of the University of North Carolina Wilmington addresses a common question many introductory sociology students: What can I do with sociology? The book introduces students to sociology as an active and relevant way to understand human social interaction by offering a clear, direct linkage between sociology and its practical use. It focuses on the core concepts in sociology (terms and topics), contemporary and practical skills used by sociologists to investigate these concepts (tools), and then provides concrete exercises for learning and applying these skills (tasks). The book also includes brief sections on using sociology to make a difference in the community and on developing a career in sociology. Applied sociology is an ideal supplement to traditional sociology texts to add an applied component to your course. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

This book, Applied Social Sciences: Social Work, is a collection of essays specific to the field of social work. The approach is both holistic (assessment of social work, burnout, counselling, history of social work, migration, models of excellence in social work, unemployment, workaholism) and atomistic (child attachment, children’s rights, coping strategies and associated work – family conflict, emotional neglect, monoparental families, physical abuse, positive child disciplining, psychological abuse, rehabilitation of delinquent minors, social inclusion of youth, etc). The types of academic readership it will appeal to include: academic teaching staff, doctors, parents, psychologists, researchers, social workers, students, and teachers in the field of social work, who wish to improve personally and professionally. It may also be useful to all those who interact, one way or another, with the human factor.

Both sociology and social work focus on social problems, social structure, social integration and how individuals respond to and live within cultural and structural constraints. Today, both disciplines face the possibility of losing some of their most important characteristics to individualising trends, the disappearance of the importance of 'the social' and pressure towards solely evidence-based knowledge. This book explores how the relationship between the two fields, contributing to continuing discussions between and within each discipline. This book was originally published as a special issue of Nordic Social Work Research.