Social Welfare and Social Services

Over 1,700 entries

The new edition of this dictionary has been fully revised to provide up-to-date 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 such as health and education, this is the most up-to-date dictionary of its kind available. It also provides extended entries on specialisms such as children and families, domestic violence, and residential care and has been updated to include new legislation.

Useful appendices include a glossary of acronyms and a Table of Legislation, Regulations, and Codes of Practice. Entry-level further reading recommendations and web links provide further resources.

It is a must-have for students of social care and related subjects, as well as for qualified social workers undertaking continuing professional development programmes.

Co-published by the National Association of Social Workers and Oxford University Press, the 20th edition of the Encyclopedia of Social Work is widely considered the cornerstone of reference in its field. This new edition includes coverage of areas that have come to the fore since the 1995 publication of the 19th edition, including demographic changes from immigration, technology, the implications of managed care, faith-based assistance, evidence-based practice, gerontology, and trauma and disaster.

The Encyclopedia contains four hundred subject entries and two hundred brief biographies of key figures in the history of social work. Clearly arranged in A-Z format, each article is fully cross-referenced and includes a select bibliography to guide interested readers to primary sources and the most important scholarly works on a given subject. The work also includes a comprehensive index and topical outline. Comprehensive in coverage and international in scope, the Encyclopedia is a valuable resource to social work practitioners, scholars, and students alike.