Table of Contents

Introduction and core themes The beginnings of social work: "The comfort of strangers" Social work with children, young people and families Social work with people with learning difficulties Social work with people experiencing mental distress Social work with older people Formalising and consolidating social work as a profession Current services, practices and issues Summarising remarks and signposts Appendix A: A code of ethics for social work (BASW) values and principles Appendix B: Mapping services in modern social work and social care settings Appendix C: Time line of the development of social work References Resources and useful websites Index

About the Author

Nigel Horner is Head of the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Lincoln, where he teaches social work history, theory and methods, residential child care and ageing and older people. He began working in a London Borough Children's Home in 1972, before studying Sociology at Durham University. After a period as a Community Worker, he qualified in Social Work from Glasgow University in 1980, and thereafter worked in Mental Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, Fostering and Youth Offending settings. He is also a Senior Fellow in the Higher Education Academy.

Reviews

"Brilliantly written, presenting complex issues with insight and clarity and giving readers an enlightened overview of the history and evolution of social work in Britain." (Lecturer, University of Northampton.)