Professional Social Work
- Jonathan Parker - Bournemouth University, UK, University of Stavanger, Norway
- Mark Doel - Sheffield Hallam University, UK
If social work students are to flourish in their careers, and go beyond a basic sense of ‘competence’ in practice, it is essential to develop a sense of Professional Self. This book will help students develop critical understanding of their own social work practice, and the tools and skills required to become a professional social worker.
It includes:
- Chapters on practising Reflexivity and the importance of Relationships in social work
- Contributions from leading social work academics
- A focus on building a professional identity through learning and practice
The emphasis is on developing your professionalism, and how that journey translates into everyday practice. To help this growth there are further chapters on getting the best from continuing professional development, challenging poor practice and professionalism and ethics.
Professor Jonathan Parker is Deputy Dean for Research and Enterprise and Director of the Centre for Social Work and Social Policy at Bournemouth University. He is currently conducting cross cultural research on learning and practice with colleagues in Southeast Asia.
Professor Mark Doel is Professort Emeritus in the Centre for Health and Social Care Research at Sheffiled Hallam University, and a registered social worker. Mark's research experience is in the fields of practice education, social work practice methods, and service user involvement.
This excellent text introduces newly qualified workers to key professional issues from the perspective of highly respected authors in social work.
This is a good text and will be included in the reading list update for the level 6 (final year) and MA social work students this year. The chapters cover topics which address the very real issues and concerns of social work in times of austerity.
This is an extremely useful text. It places social work within its current context, examining ethical dilemmas for the profession. I will be recommending this to all my tutees and for the students across the BA and MA programmes.
A very good book which will serve students well as undergraduates and beyond.
A very useful text for the 3rd year module 'Building On Vocational Interests'
A very inspiring book that palces social work in a contextual framework.
Appropriate for learners to read before progressing into employment across the sector
This book is highly recommended and each chapter will appeal to any person interested in social work practice and theory looking for greater understanding on social work today.
Chapters 3,4 and 5 stood out for me, as White, Ruch and Thompson have been writers in social work that have always evoked thought and could be argued to be transformative in their thinking.
Chapters 7&11 provide good illustrations on ethics and the media and are relevant to practising social work today having to contend with the media and differences in views and perspectives on social work practice. Mark Doel and Jonathan Parker's final chapter puts the finishing touches on what is a most valuable text for practitioners new and old to be able revisit to why they may have entered the profession.
