social work theories

The Social Work Task Force has signalled its intent to come up with a new definition of social work to counter public misconceptions. Anabel Unity Sale reports that with the negative coverage that social work attracts, it is hardly surprising that the public is not clear about what social workers do, and that people are led to believe that professionals swoop in and steal babies from families, give older people with limited mobility a bath and then make their dinner.

This website provides specially designed tools to help social care workers. The tools are quick, easy to use, and do not require any specialist skills expertise. All social care staff use information and communicate in their jobs. To do this they need: speaking and listening skills; reading and writing skills; number skills. Care Skillsbase helps managers in the care sector take constructive action on communication & number skills.

This multimedia learning object provides an introduction to the "task-centered" model of social work intervention. This model was based on the work of Sigmund Freud and the psychoanalysts. Psychoanalytic social work emphasised relationship-focused intervention with the professional adopting the role of the 'expert'.

In a contribution to the JRF's 'social evils' series, Jose Harris examines social problems and changing perceptions of them since 1904. Social evils, such as hunger and destitution, were seen by the Victorians as unavoidable. Joseph Rowntree's more positive philosophy promoted social research and intervention to transform 'social evils' into less malign 'social problems' that could be cured. However, some of these problems have subsequently reappeared.

This report describes a project that sought to analyse and evaluate a particular academic course unit entitled 'Skills development and theorising practice', which ran in 2002-2003 as part of the old Diploma in Social Work. The aim was to gain a greater understanding of how student development could be facilitated in these key areas of practice.

Report of the recommendations made by the 21st Century Social Work Review Group for the future of social services in Scotland. Published by the Scottish Government in February 2006, it set out a new direction for social work services in Scotland based on the strong core values of inclusiveness and meeting the whole needs of individuals and families. It seeks to equip social work services to rise to the challenge of supporting and protecting our most vulnerable people and communities in the early part of the 21st century.