Social work and social care managers often find themselves in management positions without having had any formal management training, yet skills and knowledge specific to social care settings are essential for effective practice. This book offers a researched and practical guide to the fundamental skills and knowledge that a manager needs, underpinned by the values and ethics that are inherent to social work and social care. Core skills covered include time management, recruitment, managing meetings, working in partnership with service users, negotiation and conflict management, and mentoring and coaching. A self-improvement feedback assessment is included, and the book features learning activities, practical tools, case examples, summaries and action checklists. This must-have handbook will help social work and social care managers and students to understand and accomplish the core skills needed for excellent management practice.

Full of expert guidance on leadership and management, this unique book is geared specifically to the needs of social work administrators, educators and practitioners in both academic and agency settings. The contents are fully comprehensive and encompass both theoretical approaches to management and leadership plus a wide variety of practical strategies that can be directly applied to practice. Topics blend the art and science of leadership and management and incorporate all competencies and practice behaviors required by Network for Social Work Management (NSWM) and Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). These include understanding different leadership styles, practicing self-reflection and self-care, methods to motivate teams and mentor others, developing strategic plans, understanding financial management, marketing, fundraising, human resources, program evaluations, community collaboration, and much more. Additionally, the text illustrates the parallels/disparities between social work practice skills, knowledge, and ethics, and those of leadership and management. Instructor resources include PowerPoints for each chapter, lecture notes, and sample syllabi. Print version of the book includes free, searchable, digital access to entire contents. KEY FEATURES: Geared specifically to the needs of social work educators and practitioners in academic and agency settings Incorporates all competencies and practice behaviors required by NSWM and CSWE as cited in each chapter Discusses the differences between management and leadership along with best practices Fosters knowledge and skill development through the use of competency-based real-life cases, self-reflective exercises, and thought-provoking questions Offers examples of how to motivate and work with different age cohorts, community groups, and other stakeholders Addresses the challenges of financial management and fundraising Exhibits specific problem-solving and decision-making strategies

Managers in social work and social care contexts are required to manage a wide range of projects: long-term and short-term, on large and small scales, in partnership with other agencies, and covering a broad range of issues and contexts. Management of these projects requires specific expertise, and this book sets out what these core skills are and how they can be achieved. Topics such as managing resources, assessing risks, and measuring outcomes are covered, as well as how to start and end a project. The authors acknowledge the values and ethics inherent to care environments, as well as the business skills necessary for good management. Detailed case studies demonstrate the ideas in action, and reflective activities, practical tools and action checklists are included throughout. This practical handbook provides a clear and comprehensive guide to how to be an excellent project manager, and is a must-read for all social work and social care managers and post-qualifying social work and social care students.

This new practice text provides a series of readings focusing on case management in a number of fields and in a variety of settings with different client populations. Each chapter examines a major component of case management practice by presenting information about an innovative program from a different location around the country. In conjunction, these readings provide a road map to social work case management.In addition to offering up-to-date practice approaches and examining the functions and skills of case management in depth, the authors provide the policy information needed for putting this traditional form of social work practice into today's service delivery context.

This is a practical guide to the essential core skills of project management in social work and social care. The authors set out the tools, steps and stages necessary for successful project management. Detailed case studies demonstrate the ideas in action, and reflective activities, practical tools and action checklists are included throughout.

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together

One of the New York Post's Top 10 Career Books of 2012 and a Booklist Top 10 Business Book DO YOU WORK WITH A MEAN GIRL? A woman’s field guide to the new frontier of professional development—working with other women Women-to-women relationships in the workplace are . . . complicated. When they’re good, they’re great. But when they’re bad, they can ruin your day, your week—even your year. Packed with proven advice from two of today’s leading experts in workplace relationships, this one-of-a-kind guide gives women the tools they need to navigate difficult situations unique to women-to-women relationships—whether with a boss, a colleague, a client, or an employee. Have you dealt with a woman in the workplace who: “Accidentally” excludes you from important meetings? Seems intent on taking you down professionally? Gossips about you with other coworkers? Makes you look bad by missing deadlines? Forms a “pack” of mean girls to make your life miserable? Mean Girls at Work isn’t just about surviving difficult situations. It’s about transforming a toxic relationship into one that benefits and supports both of you. This book is also for women who engage in mean behavior . . . but don’t know it. After all, who hasn’t gossiped about a female coworker? Who hasn’t rolled her eyes in the presence of a woman she doesn’t like? Who hasn’t scanned another woman head to toe—which is just a nonverbal way of saying, “You’ve just been judged”? The authors provide invaluable advice to the more subtle ways of being mean—even if they’re not intended. With a workforce composed of a higher percentage of women than ever, workplace dynamics have changed. Crowley and Elster cover every conceivable scenario, providing critical advice on how to rise above the fray and move forward professionally. Mean Girls at Work is your map to dodging the mines and moving forward in today’s transformed workplace. Praise for Mean Girls at Work “An invaluable suit of armor for surviving nine to five!” —Leil Lowndes, bestselling author of How to Talk to Anyone “If you think the emotional cruelty of comedies like Mean Girls and Heathers doesn’t exist in the real world workplace, think again. In Mean Girls at Work, Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster valuably chronicle female vs. female predators and offer solid defensive strategies.” —Ann Kreamer, author of It’s Always Personal: Navigating Emotion in the New Workplace “Whether you are in your twenties and just starting your professional career, your midcareer forties, when you are supposed to have figured it out already, or a woman in her fifties or sixties who’s seen it all—this book is a must-read. . . . The authors have finally given women the tools and the sound advice necessary to deal with . . . conflicts that keep us all from succeeding. . . . Carry this book with you to work every day!” —Carolyn Cassin, President, Michigan Women’s Foundation “A must-read for women of all ages in today’s workforce. This book offers what we all need to develop the capacities to endure this ever-changing workplace. We know it is all about relationships and you need the skills outlined in this book to survive and thrive when the Mean Girls attack.” —Kim Harrington, Coordinator, Professional Development and Training, Office of Human Resources, California State University, Sacramento