'[A] key text for social work students and a useful resource for practioners and lecturers.'

'The book has always been a perfect jumping off point for students.'

'Maintains its bestseller status with this edition.'

'In general it is a good all-rounder and a worthwhile purchase...Its emphasis on understanding theory and reflecting is vital for students and practitioners today, as it always has been.'

This fourth edition of Veronica Coulshed's classic text has been meticulously revised to reflect the latest changes in social work education. Generic skills and processes such as communication and assessment are discussed alongside models and settings of practice. The relationship between theory, evidence and practice is fully explored throughout, ensuring this remains an ideal introduction for all beginning social work students as well as a handy refresher and companion for practitioners.

This major revision of a classic social work textbook remains essential reading for all social work students and beginning practitioners in the social work and social care professions. It provides a broad and even-handed introduction to social work theories that is firmly rooted in, and framed by, practice issues and concerns.

The fourth edition has been meticulously reworked to reflect recent developments in social work education and practice while still incorporating the strengths of the original material. In particular it features:

- a new structure that highlights core social work processes and methods of intervention and that reflects the various contexts in which social work takes place
- brand new chapters on assessment and working with adults
- clear discussion of how policy developments can inform and influence practice
- tasks, further reading and case examples, devised to support readers in understanding the applications of theory

With its concise, engaging and straightforward writing style, this text has been pivotal for nearly two decades in helping readers to explore the crucial relationship between social work theory and practice. Carefully developed to answer the needs of a new generation of students and practitioners, this latest edition is set to remain a core textbook for many years to come.

VERONICA COULSHED sometime Head of Applied Social Studies at the University of Sunderland, UK. As well as the original author of 'Social Work Practice', she wrote the first edition of 'Management in Social Work'.

JOAN ORME is Head of the Glasgow School of Social Work, a joint school of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, UK. She has written extensively on the contribution of feminist theory to social work and on social work education and practice.

2007-04-03 Compliments Social Work Skills

This should be an important text to any social work student in their first year and after. It offers guidance on assessment and methods of intervention, concerning itself with skills and theory. In particular, counselling, crisis intervention, task-centered practice and cognitive behavioural practice interventions are explored by individual chapters. However not all intervention methods are included, such as solution-focused practice. The later part of book offers general discussion to work with children and families, adults, groups and communities, for example theoretical viewpoints in family therapy, person-centred planning, groups and change and community development. This book accompanies very well Social Work Skills by Pamela Trevithick, which I also recommend.