| This fourth edition of the Foundations of Social Work
Practice is the best current scholarship that challenges the conventional wisdom of
social work practice across all system levels – individual, family, group,
organization, and community. The framework for this edition offers a coherent approach to
integrating four critical perspectives on practice: ecosystems, social justice and human
rights, evidence-based practice, and shared power. These perspectives are interwoven
throughout the text and offer a teaching strategy on how to achieve the integration of
perspectives. Foundations of Social Work Practice is written at a level that
adequately challenges graduate students and fosters their intellectual development from
the very beginnings of their graduate experience. The editors’ intent is to promote
the concept that although many social work practice functions can be performed effectively
by paraprofessionals and bachelor’s-level staff, the primary function of the
graduate-level social worker is not so much to simply act as to think—to understand
the perplexing intricacies of each client’s unique dilemma and to develop
interventive strategies that are based on that understanding.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Organized into two major sections: Foundation Knowledge and Foundations of Social Work
Practice
- Builds a bridge between social policy and social work practice
- Emphasizes the use of appropriate practices especially when working with at-risk
communities
- Includes three appendices: NASW Code of Ethics, Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
and a refined set of skills exercises
“This new edition of an already excellent book provides a contemporary,
nuanced portrait of our profession. Mattaini and Lowery, and their stellar co-authors,
draw on new research and theory to help students and educators grasp the multiple
dimensions of agency-based practice. Illustrated with graphs and vividly written, the
fourth edition of Foundations of Social Work Practice makes a compelling case that
professionalism, cultural competence, and social justice are inseparable from
practice methods.”
Elizabeth Ann Danto, PhD
Hunter College School of Social Work
City University of New York |
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