Knowledge grows as ideas are tested against each other. Agreement is not resolved simply by naming concepts but in the dialectical process of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis. There are many echoes of these debates in The Evidence Book. The contributors make claims for both practitioner wisdom and the voice of experience. Against this is posed the authority of experimental science and the randomized controlled trial.The contributors are concerned, in their own ways, with collecting, ranki...

Qualitative Social Research employs an accessible approach to present the multiple ways in which criticism enhances research practice. Packed full of relevant, ′real world′ examples, it showcases the strengths and pitfalls of each research method, integrating the philosophical groundings of qualitative research with thoughtful overviews of a range of commonly used methods.This book is ideal for students and prospective researchers and explains what makes qualitative sociol...

Evidence-based practice is now a core element of many governments’ approaches to policy-making and social intervention. It has become a powerful movement that promises to change the content and structure of social work and its allied professions. Its emergence has generated much debate and raised challenging questions, however, particularly at the interface of research, policy, and practice.This book provides a critical analysis of evidence-based practice in social work. It introdu...

This new edition has been fully revised and updated to provide over 1,800 A-Z definitions of terms from the field of social care, concentrating on social work as a significant area within this field. Covering social work theories, methods, policies, organizations, and statutes, as well as key terms from interdisciplinary topics overlapping with health and education, this is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind available. It also provides extended entries on specialisms such as childr...

Research skills are as critical to social work practitioners as skills in individual and group counselling, policy analysis, and community development. Adopting strategies similar to those used in direct practice courses, this book integrates research with social work practice, and in so doing promotes an understanding and appreciation of the research process.This second edition of Practising Social Work Research comprises twenty-three case studies that illustrate differen...

PROMOTING PARTNERSHIP FOR HEALTHThis book forms part of a series entitled Promoting Partnership for Health publishedin association with the UK Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE). The series explores partnership for health from policy, practice and educational perspectives. Whilst strongly advocating the imperative driving collaboration in healthcare, it adopts a pragmatic approach. Far from accepting established ideas and app...

Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research, 2nd Edition provides a practical orientation to conducting effective qualitative research in the public health sphere. With thorough examination and simple explanations, this book guides you through the logic and workflow of qualitative approaches, with step-by-step guidance on every phase of the research. Students learn how to identify and make use of theoretical frameworks to guide your st...

Systematic, practical, and accessible, this is the first book to focus on finding the most defensible design for a particular research question. Thoughtful guidelines are provided for weighing the advantages and disadvantages of various methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods designs. The book can be read sequentially or readers can dip into chapters on specific stages of research (basic design choices, selecting and sampling participants, addressing ethical issues)...

Evaluation research can assess the value and effectiveness of interventions and innovations involving people. While this has often been on a grand scale, this book focuses on small-scale projects carried out by an individual or small group, typically lasting for weeks or at most a few months, at a local rather than national level. Using limited jargon and featuring integrated, real-world examples, this second edition offers a clear, accessible background to evaluation and prepares you to u...

Both practical and theoretical in approach, this book is the perfect companion for student researchers and policy makers alike. It provides actionable advice for planning and implementing evaluations, while also instilling an ability to assess the evaluations of others and consider the ways in which evaluation evidence could influence policy and practice.Drawing upon a wide range of examples from policy areas like education, criminal justice, and health and social care, this book s...

In the economic atmosphere following the crisis of 2008, not only have governments reacted by creating more complex policy initiatives, but they have also promised that all of these initiatives will be evaluated. Due to the complexity of many of the initiatives, the ways of evaluating are becoming equally complex.The book begins with a theoretical and conceptual explanation of the process and shows how this translates into the practice of evaluation. The chapters cover a wide varie...

Policy evaluation is an important and well-established part of the policy process, facilitating and feeding back to promote the ongoing effectiveness of policies that have been implemented or anticipating policies in the making. Environmental policy is a special case, presenting new complexities uncommon to other areas, which standard evaluation tools are ill-equipped to grapple with. It is also an area that is experiencing rapid growth throughout the world and knowledge is now needed at a...