Competence in Social Work Practice: A Practical Guide for Students and Professionals Second Edition

This book tackles the complex issue of competency-led social work training and focuses particularly on the six key roles of social work practice and the national occupational standards. It provides a helpful analysis of the changes to social work that have been brought about as a result of social policies and legislation, regulatory frameworks, new registration requirements, public inquiries and training to bring it in line with European education. Perhaps most importantly, it also considers the role of the service user in delivery and training.

This book is easy to read and uses several detailed case studies to challenge traditional views of competency-led training. These cover a number of key social work areas such as mediation, child abuse, mental health, adults with learning disabilities, working with families and risk analysis.

The case studies illuminate several complex issues that get to the heart of what competency-led training actually involves. Meanwhile, the analyses make the point that it should not just be a tick-box approach. In fact, what the case studies emphasise most of all is that the application of core values and ethics, within a skills and knowledge-based framework, is central to social work training.

The second edition of this book is timely and it sits well alongside current debates about training and the future of social work. I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it for anyone working in the profession.

Praise for the first edition:

'This material will be invaluable to anyone working with social work students...'

Keiran O'Hagan's updated collection of papers presents a rubust and, in my view, convincing case for the concept of 'competence' in social work education and training.

His contributions range across the National Occupational Standards Framework and include both children and adult-focused social-work practice. The strongest and possibly most useful feature for both practice teachers and students is the detailed case studies where apparently small scale work is shown to be rich in learning.