SWO 5282 & 5283 - Evaluation of Practice Research Guide

Christianity and Social Work is written for social workers whose motivations to enter the profession are informed by their Christian faith, and who desire to develop faithfully Christian approaches to helping.

This book shows experienced educators and mental health practitioners who work with young children (2-5 years of age) how to implement programs and interventions based on the latest scientific research in day care centers, preschools, special education settings, and kindergartens. Every year brings new research studies that aim to describe early childhood development. Despite this boom in research, there has been little useful translation of these studies into clear recommendations for educators and mental health practitioners.Chapters in this volume offer guidelines on child assessment across five key areas of development--cognitive, language, behavioral and social-emotional functioning, adaptive behavior, and motor skills. Contributors describe interventions to help children meet age-appropriate expectations regarding cognitive and emotional maturity, and other key developmental tasks including numerical understanding, early literacy programs; and play. Other chapters discuss broad policies and legal issues impacting early education. Special attention is given to interventions for preschoolers with developmental disabilities, and the unique needs of children who are culturally and linguistically diverse. Psychologists, speech-language pathologists, social workers, and teachers will find a wealth of information in this comprehensive, practical volume.

Thomas O'Hare strikes a pragmatic balance between flexibility and adherence to empirical guidelines in performing routine assessments, interventions, and evaluations. The purpose of this book is to address the need for a framework guided by the best evidence to help practitioners who work with clients with difficult and complex psychosocial issues.

The role of evidence-based practice is one of most central and controversial issues in social work today. This concise text introduces key concepts and processes of evidence-based practice whilst engaging with contemporary debates about its relevance and practicality. Evidence-based Practice in Social Work provides both an argument for the importance of evidence-based practice in social work and fresh perspectives on its controversies and organizational prerequisites. It gives an accessible overview of: Why evidence-based practice is relevant to social work. The challenges that the realities of social work practice present to models of evidence-based practice. Concepts of evidence-based practice as a process and professional culture. The role and nature of evidence. How evidence-based practice can be implemented and the importance of the organisational context. The globalization of evidence-based practice, including issues of cultural diversity and adaptability of evidence-based interventions. Controversies and criticism of evidence-based practice. Written by internationally well-respected experts, this text is an important read for all those with an interest in the area, from social work students to academics and researchers.

Social Work in Mental Health brings together a range of scholarly reflections and writings on the different roles of a social worker in the field of mental health. It provides a holistic picture to introduce readers to the wider issues of social work and mental health practice.  The book offers a detailed discussion on the theoretical and practice frameworks that are based on social justice and human rights perspectives. It not only provides an overview of intervention strategies but also directs readers' attention to an alternative way of addressing mental health issues.  The author presents a cross-cultural and global perspective of mental health, but with specific references to India and Asia. He also addresses some of the recent debates in recovery, partnerships and strengths-based practices. The book has been specially designed for social work students, human service professionals and mental health practitioners and academicians. Areas of Practice, Challenges and Way Forward offers the readers an exposure to the many different contexts within which social workers come into contact with those experiencing mental health concerns. The specific needs for particular community groups, including children, young and older people, are identified.  

Social work focuses on serving the most vulnerable members of society, and social workers must often address the contextual forces that contribute to human problems. Mindfulness and acceptance are powerful tools for this practice. By offering interventions like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), social workers can help their clients become more aware and take effective action. nbsp; In Mindfulness and Acceptance in Social Work, editor and social worker Matthew S. Boone brings together contributions from emerging voices in social work, such as Elana Rosenbaum, Yuk-Lin Renita Wong, and Diana Coholic, along with ACT pioneers Kirk Strosahl, Patricia Robinson, and others. This book focuses not only on mindfulness-based interventions for direct practice, but also on the intersection of mindfulness and social work education, cultural diversity, and macro social work. It includes a framework for moving past culturally-informed biases, and for how to best utilize mindfulness interventions for both individuals and the community at large.nbsp;

A lifespan approach presenting evidence-informed interventions for working with individuals and families Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families covers assessment of and intervention with children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, and families. It offers an array of pedagogical features within each chapter, as well as online resources and review questions at the conclusion of each chapter to help guide critical thinking about topics. Reflecting the current state of evidence-informed social work practice, each chapter's contributors emphasize the incorporation of wider forms of systematically collected data such as case studies, best or promising practices, and consumer-focused data. Reading this book will not only give readers the tools to work effectively with individuals and families, but also develop their skills in evidence informed practice. Comprehensive and insightful, Social Work Practice with Individuals and Families is a student- and practitioner-friendly text identifying the best assessment tools and strategies available for social workers to successfully serve individuals and families facing a broad range of challenges.

A solid, theory-to-practice guide to contemporary mezzo and macro social work Written by a renowned team of scholars, Social Work Practice with Groups, Communities, and Organizations focuses on the contemporary theory and practice of social work. Each chapter delves deeply into the key theoretical considerations surrounding a particular practice area, exploring the clinical implications of each. Spanning the full range of both mezzo and macro practice areas, the authors thoroughly look at the assessment of and interventions with group, community, organizational, and institutional settings. The most authoritative book in this field, Social Work Practice with Groups, Communities, and Organizations features: A focus on evidence-based approaches to assessment and intervention for each practice area discussed Comprehensive coverage of the most important new and emerging practice technologies in mezzo and macro social work Current and emerging demographic, social, political, and economic trends affecting mezzo and macro practice An array of pedagogical aids, including Key Terms, Review Questions for Critical Thinking, and Online Resources Content closely aligned with social work accreditation standards (EPAS) Providing a solid review of the entire scope of contemporary mezzo and macro social work practice, Social Work Practice with Groups, Communities, and Organizations is both an indispensable educational text for students and a valuable working resource for practitioners who work with groups, communities, and organizations of all sizes.

Social work practice in health care requires that practitioners be prepared to meet the interdisciplinary and managed care demands for best practices in efficacious, time-limited, and culturally competent interventions, with populations across the lifespan. This text is designed to meet that demand for evidence-based practice. The result of extensive systematic reviews, Evidence-based Interventions for Social Work in Health Care provides substantive in-depth knowledge of empirically based interventions specifically for major and emerging medical diseases and health conditions particularly affecting diverse, at-risk and marginalized populations. It outlines best practices for the psychosocial problems associated with the emerging chronic and major health conditions of the twenty-first century, such as paediatric asthma, Type I and Type II diabetes, obesity, paediatric cancer, and adult hypertension. The interventions discussed are detailed in terms of for whom, by whom, when, under what circumstances, for what duration, and for what level client system the intervention has proven most effective. This invaluable text is suitable for students and will be a useful reference for practitioners specialising in social work in health settings.