Social welfare, social policy and social services Books

Book SynopsisHealth and human service practitioners who work in Appalachia know that the typical “textbook” methods for dealing with clients often have little relevance in the context of Appalachian culture. Despite confronting behavior and values different from those of mainstream America, these professionals may be instructed to follow organizational mandates that are ineffective in mountain communities, subsequently drawing criticism from their clients for practices that are deemed insensitive or controversial.In Appalachian Cultural Competency, Susan E. Keefe has assembled fifteen essays by a multidisciplinary set of scholars and professionals, many nationally renowned for their work in the field of Appalachian studies. Together, these authors argue for the development of a cultural model of practice based on respect for local knowledge, the value of community diversity, and collaboration between professionals and local communities, groups, and individuals. The essays address issues of both practical and theoretical interest, from understanding rural mountain speech to tailoring mental health therapies for Appalachian clients. Other topics include employee assistance programs for Appalachian working-class women, ways of promoting wellness among the Eastern Cherokees, and understanding Appalachian death practices. Keefe advocates an approach to delivering health and social services that both acknowledges and responds to regional differences without casting judgments or creating damaging stereotypes and hierarchies. Often, she observes, the “reflexive” approach she advocates runs counter to formal professional training that is more suited to urban and non-Appalachian contexts. Health care professionals, mental health therapists, social workers, ministers, and others in social services will benefit from the specific cultural knowledge offered by contributors, illustrated by case studies in a myriad of fields and situations. Grounded in real, tested strategies—and illustrated clearly through the authors’ experiences—Appalachian Cultural Competency is an invaluable sourcebook, stressing the importance of cultural understanding between professionals and the Appalachian people they serve.

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Book SynopsisDanielle N. Gadson is professor in the Department of Public Administration at Villanova University and a part-time lecturer and DEI consultant in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.

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Book SynopsisNick Buckley MBE explores the relationship between "givers" and "takers," and the damaging symbiotic relationship between them. He examines the motivation of disheveled individuals sitting on street corners holding out paper cups, as well as the intergenerational problem of poverty and welfare dependency. Different types of beggars are highlighted, such as politicians begging for votes, charities begging for donations, and even the woke begging for validation and attention. Buckley shows that begging is a complicated topic, part nature and part nurture, and that many engage in such behavior unknowingly. Unlike most authors on this topic, Buckley explores his own history of begging from being raised in a workless household on benefits, to claiming unemployment benefits as an adult, and the journey that eventually led him to found an award-winning charity. Buckley offers us an antidote to such unbecoming behavior: personal responsibility.

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Book SynopsisThe past two decades have witnessed a vigorous challenge to social work. A growing global convergence between the market and the public sector means that private sector values, priorities, and forms of work organization increasingly permeate social and community services. As challenges facing people and communities become more layered and complex, our means of responding become more time-bound and reductionist. This book is premised on the belief in the revitalizing power of arts-informed approaches to social justice work; it affirms and invites creative responses to personal, community, and political struggles and aspirations. The projects described in the book address themes of colonization, displacement and forced migration, sexual violence, ableism, and vicarious trauma. Each chapter shows how art can facilitate transformation: by supporting processes of conscientization and enabling re-storying of selves and identities; by contributing to community and cultural healing, sustainability and resilience; by helping us understand and challenge oppressive social relations; and by deepening experiences, images, and practices of care. Social Work Artfully: Beyond Borders and Boundaries emerges from collaboration between researchers, educators, and practitioners in Canada and South Africa. It offers examples of arts-informed interventions that are attentive to diversity, attuned to various forms of personal and communal expression, and cognizant of contemporary economic and political conditions.Table of Contents Social Work Artfully: Beyond Borders and Boundaries, edited by Christina Sinding and Hazel Barnes Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction Christina Sinding and Hazel Barnes 1. Where we've been and what we are up against: Social welfare and social work in Canada Donna Baines 2. Where we've been and what we are up against: Social welfare and social work in South Africa Edwell Kaseke 3. How art works: Hopes, claims, and possibilities for social justice Christina Sinding and Hazel Barnes Art for Conscientization and Re-Storying Selves 4. Art and storytelling with migrant children: Developing and thickening alternative storylines Edmarié Pretorius and Liebe Kellen 5. Art towards critical conscientization and social change during social work and human rights education, in the South African post-apartheid and post-colonial context Linda Harms Smith and Motlalepule Nathane-Taulela 6. When we are naked: An approach to cathartic experience and emotional autonomy within the post-apartheid South African landscape Khayelihle Dominique Gumede Art for Community and Cultural Healing, Sustainability, and Resilience 7. Excavating and representing community-embedded trauma and resilience: Suitcases, car trips, and the architecture of hope Patti McGillicuddy and Edmarié Pretorius 8. Performing understanding: Investigating and expressing difference and trauma Hazel Barnes 9. Towards an Indigenous narrative inquiry: The importance of composite, artful representations Randy Jackson, Corena Debassige, Renée Masching, and Wanda Whitebird Art for Transforming Social Relations 10. Emerging paradigms for managing conflicts through applied arts Kennedy C. Chinyowa 11. Corroding the comforts of social work knowing: Persons with intellectual disabilities claim the right of inspection over public photographic images Ann Fudge Schormans Art for Transforming Social Care Practice 12. Bringing relating to the forefront: Using the art of improvisation to actively perceive relational processes in social work Cathy Paton 13. Making meaning of our experiences of bearing witness to suffering: Employing A/R/Tography to surface co-remembrance and (dwelling) place Patti McGillicuddy, Nadine Cross, Gail Mitchell, Nancy Davis Halifax, and Carolyn Plummer Bibliography Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking handbook explores mentoring, its potential and its relevance to health and social care fields including the leadership needs, well-being and career progression of people working within health, social care and public sector services.

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Book SynopsisIn the environment of inpatient mental health units, a patient's actions are often understood through reference to their illness; if they disagree with staff they lack insight or are aggressive, if they seek independence they are uncooperative and non-compliant, if they wish to be alone they are seen as withdrawn. Imagine being this patient, faced with situations where you are told your reality is not right, that you are a different person to who you think you are and that you have a mental disorder and need treatment, even though you do not think so. Imagine the impact this clash of values could have on you, where your values are routinely undermined, ignored, or subsumed within a medical paradigm.This contemporary and unique guide will be valuable for all staff working with people with a mental illness. Its focus is on inpatient units, however it also applies to staff working in the community. The guide provides a broad understanding of values-based practice and how to work with people's values from a person-centred perspective.Developed by K.W.M. Fulford, values-based practice ensures that the person, as a patient, has their perspective acknowledged and considered in any decisions or actions taken. This book utilises a 10 principle decision-making framework to guide and enable clinicians to reflect on their engagement and clinical decisions. Using exercises and practice scenarios, values used in clinical practice, how they present in different situations and how they influence decision making are examined. It will assist you to critique and monitor your practice in order to maintain best care according to the patient's perspective.This book can be used as a standalone resource or to complement the training pack that goes with this guide, Applying Values-based Practice for People Experiencing Psychosis: A training pack for inpatient settings, also available from Pavilion.Table of ContentsSection 1: The importance of working with values to provide person-centred care Section 2: The importance of values for the person living with mental illness - historical perspective Section 3: The importance of including all values relevant to the person Section 4: How to stay connected with the person when there is a conflict of values Section 5: How to stay connected by being aware of different responses to values Section 6: How to manage your values.

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