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Understanding and using theory in social work is written for student social workers who are beginning to develop their skills and understanding of the requirements for practice. While it is primarily aimed at students in their first year or level of study, it will be useful for subsequent years depending on how your programme is designed, what you are studying and especially as you move into practice learning. The book will also appeal to people considering a career in social work or social care but not yet studying for a social work degree. It will assist students undertaking a range of social and health care courses in further education. Nurses, occupational therapists and other health and social care professionals will be able to gain an insight into the new requirements demanded of social workers. Experienced and qualified social workers, especially those contributing to practice learning, will also be able to use this book for consultation, teaching, revision and to gain an insight into the expectations raised by the qualifying degree in social work. Requirements for social work education Social work education has undergone a major transformation to ensure that qualified social workers are educated to honours degree level and develop knowledge, skills and values which are common and shared. A vision for social work operating in complex human situations has been adopted. This is reflected in the following definition from the International Association of Schools of Social Work and International Federation of Social Workers (2001): The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work. While there is a great deal packed into this short and pithy definition it encapsulates the notion that social work concerns individual people and wider society. Social workers practise with people who are vulnerable, who are struggling in some way to participate fully in society. Social workers walk that tightrope between the marginalised individual and the social and political environment that may have contributed to their marginalisation. Social workers need to be highly skilled and knowledgeable to work effectively in this context. In 2002, the then Minister for Health, Jacqui Smith, was keen for social work education and practice to improve. In order to improve the quality of both these aspects of professional social work, it is crucial that you, as a student social worker, ix develop a rigorous grounding in and understanding of theories and models for social work. Such knowledge helps social workers to know what to do, when to do it and how to do it, while recognising that social work is a complex activity with no absolute ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ of practice for each situation. We also concur with the Minister in championing the practical focus of social work, of being able to apply our knowledge to help others. Social work is a very practical job. It is about protecting people and changing their lives, not about being able to give a fluent and theoretical explanation of why they got into difficulties in the first place. New degree courses must ensure that theory and research directly informs and supports practice. The Requirements for Social Work Training set out the minimum standards for entry to social work degree courses and for the teaching and assessment that social work students must receive. The new degree will require social workers to demonstrate their practical application of skills and knowledge and their ability to solve problems and provide hope for people relying on social services for support. (Jacqui Smith, 2002) The book aims to meet the learning needs outlined in the Department of Health’s prescribed curriculum for competence in assessment, planning, intervention and review, incorporating the necessary knowledge, skills and the development of values. It will also meet subject skills identified in the Quality Assurance Agency academic benchmark criteria for social work. These include understanding the nature of social work and developing problemsolving skills under the following four headings: . managing problemsolving activities; . gathering information (including searches and presentation of findings); . analysis and synthesis; . intervention and evaluation. This approach will draw on and rely on you to acquire highquality communication skills, skills in working with others, and reflective skills in personal and professional development. The book will also meet the National Occupational Standards (NOS) set for social workers. The Standards state clearly that operational process skills are central to competence. In the language of the NOS social workers must: . prepare for and work with people and assess their needs and circumstances; . plan, carry out, review and evaluate in social work; . support individuals to represent needs, views and circumstances; . manage risk; . be accountable with supervision and support for own practice; . demonstrate professional competence in social work practice. Introduction x Book structure Research indicates that social workers vary considerably in the extent that they make and test hypotheses in practice (Sheppard et al., 2001). A shift towards understanding ‘knowledge as process’ as opposed to ‘knowledge as product’ is suggested as one way to integrate theory and practice. These changes to social work education and the implementation of new degree courses mean that there is a need for new, practical learning support material to help you achieve the qualification. Understanding and using theory in social work is designed to help you think critically about the knowledge and theory required for understanding social work and apply that understanding to practice situations. The emphasis in this book concerns you achieving the requirements of the curriculum and developing knowledge that will assist you in meeting the Occupational Standards for social work. The book has five main chapters covering an introduction to understanding social work theory; a consideration of the relationship between theory and practice in social work; the central importance of value and ethics in social work; social work and its organisational context; and a final chapter about putting theory into practice. Chapter 1 introduces you to what is meant by the term ‘theory’ and how ideas and knowledge can impact and guide practice. ‘Theory’ is seen as representing a means of ‘making sense’ that helps to structure our thoughts and influence our behaviour. Social work is introduced as a ‘contested activity’ with competing views about its purpose and what social workers do. One way of managing this complexity is the use of an approach known as ‘social constructionism’ that acknowledges competing meanings. Critical thinking and reflection are therefore integral skills in helping to construct and review your learning or understanding and to inform your practice. These two skills are introduced as dominant themes within this book. In Chapter 2 we look in more detail at the main ideas, or theories that have shaped social work’s development and consider the relationship between theory and practice. Social work is presented as straddling the ‘space’ between society and the individual or community and therefore it is important to understand social theories about the nature of society, which in turn have influenced explanations about the nature and purpose of social work. We will also look in more detail at some powerful ideas and beliefs that have become established as a dominant discourse around ‘rights and responsibilities’ and how this has shaped contemporary views about the role of social work. In Chapter 3, values and ethics are introduced as central in shaping what social workers do and the importance of personal and professional values in shaping the decisionmaking process. Ethical theories are considered and in particular, virtue ethics are identified as a powerful corrective to the tendency to distance practice outcomes from a consideration of the integrity of the worker and what type of worker we want to be. Such a consideration encourages you to critically review and reflect on your role and the judgements you make and to take seriously the responsibility of your role as a social worker and the practice responsibilities that come with it. Practice matters and questions of values and ethics are always at the heart of what you do. xi Introduction Chapter 4 explores in more detail the organisational context of social work practice. Since much of contemporary practice still takes place within organisations, the policy context of practice needs to be considered as representing another source of knowledge that also shapes and influences individual practice. You will also consider the role and importance of supervision and the importance of reflective practice in shaping and informing your practice. In the final chapter, I bring together some of the themes that have been developed in this book and consider how they can be utilised in a practice setting, by considering the use of the ‘strengths’ perspective (Saleebey, 2006). This provides an example of a practice approach that combines a view about the nature and purpose of social work and stresses the centrality of the worker in its construction, and it therefore provides an example of the how the ideas and themes developed in this book can be demonstrated in a practice context. Summaries and concluding remarks as well as indicators for further reading are offered at the end of each chapter. You are encouraged to take responsibility for your own learning, identifying your developmental needs and taking your reflections forwards to other texts and other sources of learning to enhance and develop your understanding. In addition, a glossary of terminology is provided at the end of the book.