Empowerment Series: Social Work and Social Welfare, 8th Edition

Rosalie Ambrosino, Joseph Heffernan, Guy Shuttlesworth, Robert Ambrosino

Copyright 2016
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Empowerment Series: Social Work and Social Welfare 8th Edition by Rosalie Ambrosino/Joseph Heffernan/Guy Shuttlesworth/Robert Ambrosino

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Overview
Meet the Authors
What's New
Features
Table of Contents
Pricing

Overview

Reflecting the latest practices, accreditation requirements, and developments from the field, the eighth edition of bestselling SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE gives readers a broad understanding about the social work profession and the role it plays in the social welfare system. Part of the Brooks/Cole Empowerment Series, the text is completely up to date and thoroughly integrates the core competencies and recommended practice behaviors outlined in the current Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) set by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). With its signature systems/ecological approach to understanding social welfare, the book focuses on specific social welfare areas in which social workers play major roles in policy and practice. It reflects the philosophy that there are many reasons why social problems occur, and that students need to understand the history, values, and economic, political, and cultural factors that surround these issues and the attempts to solve or address them. Instead of presenting a specific political perspective, the authors encourage readers to think critically about issues in a new way. Each chapter opens with a vignette about a social worker in a specific setting and closes with information about the career opportunities for social workers in the area discussed.

Meet the Authors

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Rosalie Ambrosino

Rosalie Ambrosino is professor and interim chair of the Department of Social Work at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where she teaches policy and cultural competence. She previously taught research, human behavior, and practice courses in child welfare. She also served on the faculty and as head of the BSW Program at the University of Texas at Austin for 18 years. Dr. Ambrosino has extensive social work experience in settlement houses/community centers, child welfare, school social work, and administration. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Austin, her master's degree at Antioch University, and her bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota.

Joseph Heffernan

Joseph Heffernan taught policy and research courses at the University of Texas at Austin before retiring. He has significant macro-level experience with policy analysis, with particular emphasis on poverty and economic issues relating to social welfare.

Guy Shuttlesworth

Guy Shuttlesworth, a noted gerontology authority, is a professor emeritus from the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught policy and practice courses as well as developed a gerontology program. His research interests include long-term care and rural America.

Robert Ambrosino

Robert Ambrosino is a lecturer at the University of Texas at San Antonio. A seasoned instructor in policy, research, community practice courses, and transformational leadership, he has also taught at St. Edwards University in Austin and the University of Texas at Austin. With his extensive experience in macro practice, Dr. Ambrosino served as deputy commissioner of the Texas Department of Human Services, developed Texas food stamp electronic benefits cards, and worked as executive director of a statewide Texas nonprofit family and youth services agency. He received his Ph.D. from State University of New York at Albany and his bachelor's degree from Siena College.

What's New

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Updated throughout, this edition includes increased focus on contemporary policy issues such as health care, mental health, criminal justice, immigration, and racial, gender, and other disparities that exist among various groups.
An expanded Chapter 14 on rural social work focuses on different environmental contexts, including rural social work, urban social work, and the role of social workers in environmental racism and environmental issues (e.g., placement of tank farms, freeways, and exposure to dangerous chemicals) that impact various groups.
Additional content on diversity is integrated throughout the text.

Features

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SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE: AN INTRODUCTION, 8th Edition reflects CSWE's current EPAS requirements. Helping Hands icons within the chapters and end-of-chapter Competency Notes spotlight text coverage of the required Core Competencies and recommended Practice Behaviors detailed by the EPAS.
Separate chapters on generalist practice expose students to actual methods of intervention used by social workers. Activities are directly linked to CSWE practice behaviors, giving students hands-on experience putting chapter concepts into action.
A blend of current practice and policy issues from the systems/ecological perspective supports the values of the social work profession as described by the CSWE. The book examines such key social justice issues as racism, sexism, homophobia, and other types of oppression on individuals, as well as the way that the allocation of resources reinforces these forms of oppression and injustices.
Offering a more global perspective on social welfare policy, the text includes discussions of the impact of the "war on terrorism," relating it to domestic spending and analyzing how funds are being shifted to homeland security and the Middle East. Students are asked to consider policy implications for how the U.S. is perceived globally. In addition, Chapter 16 addresses International Social Work, as mandated by CSWE standards.
Early coverage of diversity provides a broad base for use in subsequent chapters. The book's thorough diversity coverage includes substantial information on social and economic justice, which is emphasized heavily in the CWSE's EPAS.
Using real-life case examples to introduce text concepts, chapter-opening vignettes grab students' attention and engage them in key issues.
Boxes containing newspaper articles or excerpts from other writings provide informative, interesting examinations of topics covered throughout the text.
Chapters conclude with Competency Notes (with page numbers on which specific standards-related content appears), Key Terms, Discussion Questions, References, and Summaries to help ensure students have a thorough understanding of chapter material.
Chapter-ending lists of Suggested Further Readings provide students with alternative literature that broadens their perspectives on chapter material. On the Internet listings highlight selected websites, including those operated by state and federal government agencies and advocacy groups that provide demographic data about populations discussed in the text.

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Part I: UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL WELFARE: KEY CONCEPTS AND PERSPECTIVES.
1. Social Welfare, Past and Present.
2. Social Work and Other Helping Professions.
3. The Ecological/Systems Perspective.
4. Diversity and Social Justice.
Part II: SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE: METHODS OF INTERVENTION.
5. Social Work with Individuals, Families, and Groups.
6. Generalist Practice with Agencies and the Community.
Part III: FIELDS OF PRACTICE AND POPULATIONS SERVED BY SOCIAL WORK.
7. Poverty, Income Assistance, and Homelessness.
8. Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Developmental Disabilities.
9. Health Care.
10. The Needs of Children, Youth, and Families.
11. Services to Children, Youth, and Families.
12. Older Adults: Needs and Services.
13. Criminal Justice.
14. Social Work in Rural Settings.
15. Social Work in the Workplace.
16. The Globalization of Social Work: What Does the Future Hold?
Appendix: A Final Word to Our Readers.
Glossary.
Index.