Perspectives in Social Work was originally published in 1977 and provides a text for social workers in training to use. The book argues for a more philosophical approach to both understanding and doing social work and seeks to establish simple and basic elements in social work, asking questions such as: what should a social worker be able to do? What should a social worker know and believe? Does social work actually work? In answering these questions the book offers a wide ranging...

Originally published in 1972 Recording in Social Work looks at how recording has always been claimed as one of the necessary activities of social workers, whatever form of social work they undertake. The book deals systematically with recording, and the theory and practice recording takes, as well as the research projects and small-scale studies which discuss critically certain aspects of the method. The book offers a review of the history of recording, including a critical discus...

Originally published in 1973, The Receiving End looks at the British welfare services for deprived children. The book is comprised of essays from individuals that have been on the receiving end of the social help agencies, such as adoption societies, fostering agencies and children’s homes. Each contributor provides a unique viewpoint of their own experiences, the experiences include chapters from those with experience of adopting a child, those that have been in the care of the l...

Originally published in 1970, Social Work is an introduction for students and others who are thinking of taking up social work, or who want to know what social work is. The book begins by outlining the development of social work in the United Kingdom. It describes the methods social workers use, the knowledge they require in order to work effectively, the values they espouse, and the organisations within which they work. The book concludes with a detailed section on education and ...

This is Volume V of seven in a collection on the Sociology of Mental Health. Originally published in 1964, the object of this book is to study a particular group of social workers, those trained as psychiatric social workers. It was begun in the belief that their work should not be 'left to the imagination' and that an accurate factual picture of their training, practice, professional activities, research and writing would inform and clarify. It has been designed to answer certain question...

The topics covered in this book are directly related to much of the misunderstanding of what sociology is about. It is usual nowadays to label as sociological any discussion concerned, however loosely, with ‘Society’. But a careful reading of Mr Timms’ treatment of the problem areas he has chosen should make clear the difference between this use of the adjective in everyday speech, and its more vigorous technical use. In dealing with his subject Mr Timms makes use of the concepts of sociol...

First published in 1998. This volume is IX in the international library of sociology collection and focuses on social casework principles and practice. The text attempts to describe some of the main problems facing caseworkers as they both try to help their clients and to theorize about their methods and objectives to discern the knowledge they use and apply; and to appraise the significance of the social agencies in which they work.

Originally published in 1983 Social Work Values is a sustained enquiry about the present situation of social work. It describes the treatment of social work values in the social work literature and in research, and pursues three distinct avenues towards an improvement on the present unsatisfactory treatment. First, the book introduces and encourages more philosophical reflection on the customary ‘lists’ of social work values. Second, it investigates three social work controversies...

For some children secure accommodation seems to be the only way to control their disparate number of "problems". But why is this so, and from what criteria do social work professionals decide that a child should be put into secure accommodation? In Secure Accommodation in Child Care the authors use an empirical study of secure accommodation as a basis for an analysis of the relations between the state, the family and the "difficult" child. By looking at court procedures, social wo...

Originally published in 1978, Philosophy in Social Work is a collection of papers that invites reflective consideration of the philosophical issues arising out of social work. The work stemmed from a series of meetings at the University of Glasgow, designed to encourage philosophers to look at traditional problems raised in the comparatively unfamiliar setting of social work and social service, and for social workers to see the place for philosophical reflection on what they are d...

Originally published in 1964 Psychiatric Social Work looks at psychiatric social work as an established form of professional social work in Great Britain, as well as the mental health policy introduced at the time of the book’s publication. The book looks at how social workers in the 1960s were striving for professional status, and the interest that grew around their professional status during this period. The book examines changes and issues in their training and a general pictur...

Originally published in 1968, Language of Social Casework considers the way in which social workers commonly neglect language. It is suggested that part of this neglect is due to the ways in which social workers and their critics envisage the activity of social work. The traditional criticisms of philanthropy and social work, are, therefore reviewed, and an attempt made to describe some common responses to them on the part of the practitioners. This is followed by an examination o...