Books published by Whiting & Birch Ltd

Authors give attention to the theory and practice of social action and self-directed groupwork. These papers present a range of perspectives and experiences to provide a vivid account of social action as a values¿based approach committed to social justice and empowerment. In addition, they contain a wealth of ideas and practices, a detailed resource which we hope will inspire and signpost, without shirking the dilemmas and challenges to be considered, understood, faced and addressed. The collection demonstrates the enduring value of social and self-directed groupwork. The approaches have probably never been more relevant than in today's social conditions. Chapters were originally published between 1988 and 2013 in two journals: Groupwork, and Social Action.

Proceedings of the XXXVIII and XXXIX International Symposium of the International Association for Social Work with Groups, New York City, New York, USA, June 15-18, 2016 and June 7-10 2017

This book is about contemporary social work and is different to most because instead of being written by subject specialists or academics the book is written by students as experts by experience. Each chapter is a contribution to practice as an outcome of a student's social work placement in front line children's services in England. The book contains the final theses of student social workers enrolled under the 'Step Up to Social Work' initiative. A lesson from the Step Up programme is that, if you invest heavily in recognised talent, nurture and develop it, you are more likely to bring into the profession capable and effective individuals to become our future social workers. The high quality of chapters collected in this book clearly demonstrate this.

This edited social work collection offers diverse perspectives on the broad theme of marginalization and social inclusion in Europe. Chapter contributions have been drawn from both established academics and students of social work and sociology presenting at the 2013 SocNet (Erasmus European Network in Social Work) international symposium. This collection forms a companion piece to the first SocNet edited volume Active Ageing? Perspectives from Europe on a vaunted topic, editors María Lusia Gómez Jiménez and Jonathan Parker.

Family and kinship structures have long been the subject of anthropological research in Sarawak, but little is known of the changes wrought by social transformative forces. Globalisation, urbanization and an increasing mobile work-force are some of the processes at work.The chapters in this book examine many important issues such as economic development of the state and intergenerational social mobility; migration of men for work and its impact on Iban families; organization of money in a marriage and how this shapes gender relations in the household; and changing courtship patterns and family structure. All the authors know Sarawak well and the book's multidisciplinary nature gives a holistic perspective on this very important topic.

Malaysian psychiatric services and policy show some developments similar to those of the West-yet much of the rhetoric that has informed these changes internationally, such as the discourse of service-user empowerment, has yet to be fully embraced within Malaysia itself. The author argues that an important factor here is that psychiatric services in Malaysia retain many of the premises of colonial psychiatry, particularly in relation to attitudes towards mental illness and psychiatric patients.On the other hand, the geographical and cultural location of Malaysian health services introduces features unique to this region (such as the wide diversity of ethnic groups and the continuing popularity of traditional healing practices). Within this diversity exist belief systems and normative values that are not congruent with the colonial premises that continue to cast an influence over service delivery and associated professional attitudes in Malaysia. The author draws extensively on her own research on psychiatric care in Malaysia, in which the narratives of Malaysian service users and psychiatric staff are interwoven with historical accounts of asylum care in Britain and Europe. The similarities across regions and between the past and the present are thus made apparent. The importance of the book goes beyond its interpretation of the Malaysian context. It will interest to anyone seeking to understand other post-colonial societies (for example, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and India). Although there are differences in history and current developments in relation to attitudes, and the policy and practice of mental health among these countries, we should be aware of the common legacy of the past and its implications for the present and future of their mental health systems. The book will also provide important insights for professionals working in any healthcare system with a culturally diverse client base.

Resulting from collaboration between leading academics and the national charity the Fostering Network, this book captures the debates on the provision of foster care in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the twenty-first century. This collection of papers offers critical comment on current governmental policy, reports on empirical research, and offers theoretical reflections on practice. The context for the policy and the debates is provided by a narrative that traces the origins of child care from the Elizabethan Poor Law, and asks questions about the provision of care in the future. Key themes covered in the chapters:Politics and policy - the ideological foundations of recent initiatives and the implications for the care of children and young peopleService delivery - public and private approaches to provision and the professionalization of foster careService users - the needs of children and young people and the barriers to their social inclusion on leaving careDiversity, identities and perspectives - kinship care, sexualities and the foster carer's perspective

Each paper in this collection draws attention to the core of common values that should undergird education, practice, and research or by highlighting the rich variations that make group work so powerful and artistic a helping medium. Basic precepts and values that drive group work regardless of membership or setting are highlighted throughout the collection. The danger of increasing manualization and sound-byte process is noted, and appeals are made for stronger efforts to stem the tide. Examples of effective practice and diversity of application are offered, along with reflections on some of the challenges to practice in a techno world. Models of successful collaboration including cross-cultural exchanges are presented; and dynamics of membership and leadership are studied for their capacity to contribute to success on both micro and macro stages. This book will be of interest to everyone who works with groups from the clinical to the community setting and from the small-circle focus to the global stage.

This is the second title in the Groupwork Monographs Series, themed anthologies of papers published over the years in Groupwork each dedicated to one area of groupwork practice. Titles will include Groupwork and Women, Social Action Groupwork , and Groupwork Relations.Books in the series are designed to be useful to students, practitioners, teachers and trainers, and researchers alike. All are invited to sample a pool of knowledge that has accumulated within the pages of Groupwork over almost two decades.