Penelope Welbourne

There is an increasing emphasis on post-qualifying training for social workers, especially in the complex and demanding area of working with children and families. This essential textbook is especially designed for practitioners studying at this level.
Accessible and thorough, the text focuses on a mixture of conceptual and organisational topics, skills, law, policy and key practice issues. It includes chapters on:


Social work values and ethics
Risk, uncertainty and accountability
Direct work with children and young people
Promoting security and stability
Working with reluctant service users
Assessment of parenting
Working with poverty, drugs and alcohol
Going to court and the legal framework
Children and young people going home
Supporting others in their professional development.

Using case studies and activities to link research, theory and practice, Social Work with Children and Families takes a wider look at the role and tasks of an experienced social work practitioner, and the skills and knowledge needed to develop professionally from this point.

Penelope Welbourne is Programme Lead for the MA in Social Work at the University of Plymouth, UK. She has research interests in the areas of child protection, child law and children’s rights and the development of social work as a profession.

Introduction Part I: Child And Family Centred Social Work 1. Hearing Children’s Voices And Respecting Children’s Wishes And Feelings Part 1: Trust, Communication And Support 2. Hearing Children’s Voices And Respecting Children’s Wishes And Feelings Part 2: The Legal Framework, And Putting It Into Practice 3.Reflection: Theory, Knowledge, Identity And Power In Working With Children And Families 4. Assessment Of Parenting: Constructing Meaning From Detail 5. Narrative And Understanding The Family’s World - Questions And Stories In Working With Children And Families 6. Social Work And Poverty: A Complex Relationship Part II: Social Work And The Management Of Risk, And Support For Colleagues 7. Risk In Child And Family Social Work Part 1: The Idea Of Risk And Uncertainty In Social Work 8. Risk In Child And Family Social Work Part 2: Probability And Prevention 9.Working With Resistance: The Challenge Of Working With Involuntary Service Users 10. Drugs And Alcohol And Child And Family Social Work 11. Being In Care And Going Home: Working With Parents Towards Reunification 12. Supporting Others In Their Professional Development Conclusion