This highly practical guidebook will help you develop the critical and analytical skills essential to your successful social work education and evidence-informed, reflective practice. Key features include: Theoretical break down and simplification of key theories How to avoid common pitfalls Activities to help you cement your learning Case studies applicable in practice. This will support you right from the very beginning of your programme through to the end of your final placement and into practice.

This book will help both pre- and post-qualifying social work students gain an overview of key analysis skills by using case studies, practical examples and practice dilemmas.

You write something in order that it can be read, not in order that it can be written – write reports that achieve and illuminate. The best-selling Writing Analytical Assessments in Social Work guides you through the principles of good writing and methodically shows you: how to analyse how to structure the process of writing an assessment (researching, chronologising, informed data-gathering, putting it all together), and how to get this done under time constraints. The new edition goes further than just teaching writing skills by exploring the practical and psychological barriers to good practice. It also looks at how you turn good analysis into useful recommendations – making it something useful for the family - by applying the same analytical, critical thinking. Written in an accessible way and packed with examples and case studies, this book is both practically-minded and constantly returning to first principles: reminding you what it is you are trying to achieve and teaching you how to write reports that can be read by families and judges alike. You will learn how to write high quality, useful and timely assessments without becoming mechanistic or managerial. This book kills the myth of a trade-off between efficiency and quality of work.

Critical Thinking Skills for your Social Work Degree provides you with a sound knowledge and understanding of: the nature of critical thinking, and of its relevance and importance in HE how to adopt a critical approach to all aspects of your social work studies the importance of active, critical reading, and how it allows you an efficient, principled, effective assessment of the literature in your field the need to adopt a critical approach to writing, characterised by analytical and evaluative use of sources and the development of your own ‘voice’ If you are embarking on a university social work degree, the books in this series will help you acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and strategies you need to achieve your goals. They provide support in all areas important for university study, including institutional and disciplinary policy and practice, self-management, and research and communication. Tasks and activities are designed to foster aspects of learning which are valued in higher education, including learner autonomy and critical thinking, and to guide you towards reflective practice in your study and work life.

"Essential Skills of Social Work Practice: Assessment, Intervention, and Evaluation, third edition, by Thomas O'Hare, PhD, MSW, is written for advanced BSW and beginning MSW students who intend to work primarily in the mental health field. The book consists of three parts. Part I covers foundation concepts, including linkages among assessment, intervention, and evaluation; the relationship between research and practice; and essential ethics in social work practice. Part II addresses essential practice skills used throughout social work practice: supportive and relationship-building skills, cognitive-behavioral skills, and case management skills. Part III describes how these essential skills are combined as evidence-based practices targeting specific problems and disorders, including major mental illnesses, substance abuse and personality disorders, couples in conflict, and both internalizing and externalizing disorders in children and adolescents. The chapters focusing on disorders of children and adolescents emphasize family-based interventions. The final chapter addresses the profession's transition to evidence-based practices and related challenges given that their adoption is now expected in professional mental health practice"--

Dr David Wilkins is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Bedfordshire, UK. Dr Godfred Boahen is a Policy and Research Officer at the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), UK. How can social workers develop their critical analysis skills? What role does critical analysis play in the day-to-day activities of a social worker? And can we critically analyse in isolation? The ability to analyse contexts, scenarios and service users through a critical lens is vital to effective social work practice. Despite this, many social workers attempt to analyse situations alone, missing marks of significance. This book, written by two senior academics and practitioners who, at the time, were in the midst of their PhDs, offers a basis step-by-step model that busy social workers can use to develop a more critical and analytical mindset. It shows how analysis can be woven throughout the whole process of social work engagement, resulting in more effective decision-making, more efficient ways of working and, ultimately, better outcomes for social work service users. This is achieved by ways of handy tools, case studies and dilemmas, research summaries, and exercises and reflections points to tackle alone or with a colleague. Topics covered include: What analysis is, and why it is such an important skill in social work practice. The skills that underpin critical analysis, such as time management, planning, critical understanding, logical thinking, research-mindedness, creativity, communication, reflection and hypothesising. The role of emotion and intuition in critical analysis. The importance of supervision and team or supervised analysis. *** This book forms part of the Social Work Skills in Practice series. The series focuses on key social work skills required for working with children and adult service users, families and carers. The books offer both theoretical and evidence-informed knowledge, alongside the application of skills relevant for day-to-day social work practice. They are an invaluable resource for pre-qualifying students, newly-qualified social workers, academics teaching and researching in the field, as well as social work practitioners, including practice educators, pursuing continuous professional development. *** 'A timely and appropriate post-Munro book for social workers at all levels of experience. The chapter on emotion, intuition and critical analysis is a particularly welcome addition to the subject. A really useful book.' Dr Jane Reeves, Director of Studies, M.A. Child Protection, Co-Director Centre for Child Protection, University of Kent, UK

Social Work students often find research an intimidating and complex area of study, with many struggling to understand the core concepts and their application to practice. This book presents these concepts in an accessible and user-friendly way. Key skills and methods such as literature reviews, interviews, and questionnaires are explored in detail while the underlying ethical reasons for doing good research underpin the text. For this second edition, new material on ethnography is added.