There are certain questions that all students considering social work ask. Who are social workers? What is it that social workers do? How is the social work profession changing? What does it take to become a social worker? Ira Colby and Sophia Dziegielewski bring their decades of experience in social work practice and education to answer these questions. This engaging text gives readers a practical guide to the many ways in which social workers effect change in their communities and the world. The authors offer an overview and history of the profession; introduce readers to the practice of social work at the micro, mezzo, and macro level; and finally look closely at the many settings and populations that social workers work with. While realistically portraying the pressures and obstacles that social workers face, Colby and Dziegielewski communicate their own passion for social work.

Learn how social workers use their professional expertise to assist people. This text is part of the Connecting Core Competencies Series. The Social Work Experience: An Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare introduces students to the profession of social work including eight major fields of practice, and provides in-depth discussion of social welfare policy, its history, contemporary issues, and probable future trends. The book helps students understand how social workers use their professional expertise to assist people in solving a wide variety of problems to improve their lives. There are three major parts: The first part, Social Work and its Context, comprises four chapters which introduce the profession of social work, provide theoretical perspectives underlying generalist practice, investigate the concept of social justice, and explore social welfare policy and its history. The second part, Professional Practice Settings, offers an in-depth discussion of eight fields of practice: family and children’s services, mental health, health care, schools, older adult services, criminal justice, and developmental disabilities. The third and final part, A Look to the Future, views the profession through the eyes of futurists and explores the challenges and opportunities that await new social workers. A better teaching and learning experience This program will provide a better teaching and learning experience—for you and your students. Here’s how: Improve Critical Thinking — Discussions on values, ethics, human diversity, and generalist social work practice throughout stimulate students to think critically about varying issues. Engage Students — Case studies introduce each chapter and are carefully developed to illustrate the myriad of problems that social workers deal with in daily practice. Explore Current Issues — Includes new content on a variety of issues, including policy diversity, the environment, and much more. Apply CSWE Core Competencies — The text integrates the 2008 CSWE EPAS, with critical thinking questions and practice tests to assess student understanding and development of competency. Support Instructors — An Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank, Computerized Test Bank (MyTest), BlackBoard Test Item File, and PowerPoint presentations are included in the outstanding supplements package.

Segal, Gerdes, and Steiner's AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PROFESSION OF SOCIAL WORK, 4E, International Edition introduces you to the social work profession and describes the role of social worker in the social welfare system. Through case studies, personal stories, and exercises, this social work text helps you apply the concepts and truly understand what it means to be a social worker. Part of the Brooks/Cole Empowerment Series, the fourth edition is completely up to date and thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE).

This text provides beginning students with the knowledge and skills necessary for family social work. Not a family therapy text, it is intended for students who will work with families, but who will not necessarily undertake advanced training in family therapy. Chapters 1 and 2 present a philosophical perspective and provide an understanding of family functions. Chapters 3 and 4 treat family assessment, and Chapters 5 through 10 lead students through the actual process of working with families. The concluding chapters discuss gender and culturally sensitive practice and cover special situations that family social workers may encounter in working with children and adults.

Originally published in 1980, The Life Model of Social Work Practice was the first textbook to introduce the ecological perspective into social work practice. This fourth edition brings the text up to date by expanding and deepening this perspective. Integrating contemporary theory and research findings with numerous case illustrations drawn from a wide range of practice contexts, this textbook provides students with an invaluable introduction to the real world of social work practice and includes knowledge, methods, and skills for advanced practice. The authors detail the theoretical foundation of the ecological perspective and the life model’s emphasis on evidence- and ethics-guided practice, culturally competent and diversity-sensitive practice, and the multiple sources of accountability that social workers face. The text features an extensive discussion of the principles of trauma-informed practice and their implications for social work practice. Its discussion of cultural competence and sensitivity to diversity incorporates contemporary concepts such as cultural humility and privilege, intersectionality, and critical race theory and presents their application to practice. The authors integrate current research throughout the text and provide numerous research applications to underscore and model the importance of evidence-guided practice. The fourth edition reflects the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics and the Council on Social Work Education’s most recent set of competency standards, which accredit social work schools and programs. It is accompanied by a teachers guide that provides chapter summaries, recommended teaching methods and skills, questions for discussion, and suggested assignments and identifies where in the text the nine EPAS competencies and their associated practice behaviors are addressed.

The best-selling Introduction to Social Work by Lisa E. Cox, Carolyn J. Tice, and Dennis D. Long takes students to the root of the social work profession by covering its history, practice settings, and career paths within a unique advocacy framework. This advocacy practice and policy model comprised of four components—economic and social justice, a supportive environment, human needs and rights, and political access—provides an effective lens for viewing today’s social issues. Throughout the book, an emphasis on advocacy underscores the transformative opportunities and contributions of social work on not just the clinical/client level, but also at organizational, community, national, and international levels. The Second Edition closely aligns with the latest Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and references the 2018 Code of Ethics from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Through the authors’ inclusion of reflective practice, students will be encouraged to engage in critical thought and contemplate a career in social work.

This exciting new introductory text by Karen K. Kirst-Ashman enhances students' ability to grasp the essence and spirit of generalist social work and the issues in social welfare that social workers address everyday. Intended to give students contemplating a career in social work a solid introduction to the profession, Kirst-Ashman presents a balanced, introductory look at the profession, practice concepts, social welfare policy concepts, the history and current concerns of the profession of social work, contexts and populations served, and student development. The book also presents a unifying theme of critical thinking, intended to train students to be more evaluative earlier on in their career.