Summary
Contents
This book is a quick and accessible reference guide to the key concepts that social work students and professionals need to understand to be effective. The authors place practice at the center of the text, and include a host of case examples to bring the concepts to life.
Examining the essential topics of the social work curriculum, the concepts covered relate to practice, theory, policy and personal challenges. Further reading is included in each entry, so that the reader can explore what they have learned in more detail.
This book will be an invaluable resource for social work students during their studies and on their practice placement. It will also be useful for qualified social workers, who want to continue their professional education.
Professional Development
Professional Development
Definition
Development might be understood as growth, and professional development as growth in one's chosen profession. Such growth might involve the ongoing enhancement of pertinent knowledge and skill. The idea of ongoing development is well accepted for members of established professions such as law and medicine, but the idea is relatively novel for social work, which might be considered a semi-profession, a bureau-profession or a new profession. In the past, social workers could practise with a qualification which required a minimum of two years study and there was no requirement to update their knowledge and skill on an ongoing basis. Nevertheless, it is important to note that organisational and individual investment in principles of good practice may have meant that post-qualification education and ...
