The social work companion / created by Neil Thompson and Sue Thompson.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Cover; Contents; preface; acknowledgements; introduction; 1 studying social work; introduction --
part I; 1.1 law, politics and society; introduction; law; politics; society; professionalism; conclusion; 1.2 your social work course; introduction; what should I expect?; learning in a different way; what does it take to be successful in social work?; conclusion; 1.3 maximizing your learning; introduction; use your time wisely; be creative about learning resources; taking notes; why all these essays?; and why exams?; seminars and presentations; practice learning. Continuous professional developmentcritical analysis and reflective practice; conclusion; 1.4 conclusion; suggestions for further reading; 2 core topics; introduction --
part II; 2.1 social work processes; introduction; interactive processes; intervention processes; personal effectiveness; the helping process; conclusion; 2.2 the social context; introduction; social divisions; social institutions; social processes; social problems; culture, identity and meaning; conclusion; 2.3 human development; introduction; the life course; child development; adolescence; adulthood; death and dying. Life transitions, loss and griefprotection from harm; conclusion; 2.4 the organizational context; introduction; organizational culture; organizational structure; policies and procedures; communication; power and conflict; workload management; supervision; conclusion; 2.5 law and policy; introduction; law and the social worker; legal processes; major areas of law; law and professionalism; the role of policy; linking law and policy to practice; pitfalls to avoid; conclusion; 2.6 the value base; introduction; what are values?; why are values important?; how do we recognize values? How do values influence practice?conclusion; 2.7 reflective practice; introduction; what is reflection?; what is reflective practice?; the importance of theory; integrating theory and practice; lifelong learning; barriers to reflective practice; conclusion; 2.8 conclusion; suggestions for further reading; 3 key terms and concepts; 3.1 introduction; 3.2 terms and concepts; introduction; accountability; adoption; advocacy; ageism; alcohol abuse; asylum seekers and refugees; attachment; autistic spectrum; avoidance behaviour; bipolar disorder; brokerage; burnout; care management; carers. Case conferencecatharsis; child protection; children's guardian (guardian ad litem); community care; community social work; confidentiality; conflict; counselling; cultural competence; day services; debt; dementia; dependency; depression; disability; discrimination; disenfranchised grief; domestic violence; drug misuse; duty/intake; education social work; elder abuse; eligibility criteria; emotional abuse; empathy; essentialism; ethics; ethnocentricity; failure to thrive; family support; financial abuse; forensic social work; fostering; goal setting; good enough parenting.

This practical, handbook addresses the anxieties and challenges faced by social work students at the start of their course. It offers wide-ranging coverage of the core topics along with advice on study skills.