Product Description

"The second edition is very welcome and represents and extremely useful addition to theory/models texts. Pam brings a very lively style of debate to these issues and, extremely importantly, adds a critical edge which is what students require within the realm of contemporary practice."
Professor Jonathan Parker, Head of Department of Social Work, University of Hull.

• What skills do social workers need to become effective practitioners?
• How can these skills be perfected and made transferable across different service user and carer groups, contexts, and countries?
• How can these skills be used to enhance multi-agency co-operation and collaboration?

Written by an experienced academic-practitioner, the new edition of this best-selling text is updated to include the current educational, policy and practice context of social work. It includes descriptions of over fifty social work skills, with case examples to illustrate their creative use in practice. Giving a name to these skills, and being able to identify and demonstrate their effective use in contemporary social work practice, highlights the importance of an evidence based and research led approach to practice.

In particular, this edition contains new material on:

• Social work methods, practice approaches and perspectives
• The knowledge base of social work and the importance of the relationship between theory and practice
• How the terms skill and intervention are defined and effectively applied in practice

The starting point for this text is that social work is – and has to be - a highly skilled activity. It is important to stress this fact because social work practitioners work with some of the most complex, unpredictable and troubling areas of human experience. For this reason, social work practice is also an intellectual activity. This calls for practitioners to acquire a ‘toolbox’ of skills that can be used to enable people to move forward.

Social Work Skills is essential reading for all social work students and a valuable reference text for practising social workers and human service professionals.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29264 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

About the Author
Pamela Trevithick started in social work in 1972 and trained in 1980. Since then she has practised in Birmingham, London and Bristol as a residential social worker, education welfare officer, statutory social worker, groupworker and team manager. She is Senior Lecturer (half-time) in the School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, and a groupwork practitioner, trainer and consultant. She is the co-editor of the journal Groupwork, and on the editorial board of the Journal of Social Work Practice.

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Customer Reviews

A book that 'fills in the gaps' ...
A brilliant book that I wish I had known about earlier in my DipSW training - also wish I had the author as one of my tutors.
The author truly does 'fill in the gaps' left by DipSW training that focuses endlessly on 'competences', for example, by listing all those elusive 'skills' that social work students are supposed to demonstrate, and by defining exactly what is meant by terms such as 'theory', intervention', 'method', etc, etc, etc.
Beg, borrow, or even (blow the expense) buy this book - you won't regret it (despite the over-emphasis on psychological rather than sociological perspectives). I think I shall still be referring to it as a newly-qualified practitioner and it will be invaluable during the remainder of my second placement, especially when writing assignments and evidence sheets...

My essential text for the Social Work BA & MA
For me, this book has been essential during my two year MA in SW, and I am sure the same will apply for any person studying the BA. As others have said, this book contains the information you need, and is easy and enjoyable to read. I have dipped into my library copy for many assignments, and have now purchased my own copy ans I want to read it through - I can't say that I have been inspired by many other texts to do the same! This has also proved useful when applying theory to my practice when writing up my APT and portfolio.

Terrific Trevithick
This is a book for rejuvenating tired minds. It sets out all you need to know about the theory and practice of social work. It is a must-have for post-qualifying study.
It is a useful resource and helps organise the braincells into an orderly queue.
You can read any section in isolation or just work your way through the book. It is well written, simply presented and avoids jargon. Most of all it is a good read - not something you encounter every day in social work literature.
I used this book when I completed PQ 2-4 last year and found it indispensable. I dipped in and out of subjects with ease. The book is presented in such a way that every page is self-contained and theories/practice/skills/methods/values and case studies are analysed and explained with ease.
Most important of all, the writer knows her subject and enjoys her work. I found myself identifying with her views and experiences. I did not feel patronised or require a dictionary to decipher the text.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in working with and for people.