NCJ Number
242915
Editor(s)
Roland G. Meinert,
John T. Pardeck,
William P. Sullivan
Date Published
1994
Length
195 pages
Annotation
This book is a collection of essays focusing on issues that have been identified as being critical to the field of social work.
Abstract
The introductory chapter of this book defines the scope of the remaining essays in the book, identifying and examining issues in social work that have been operationally defined as critical. Issues operationally defined as critical must meet three criteria: an issue is critical when it manifests itself in some fashion in the public consciousness of the profession's members; the issue must score high on the scale of importance for the critical mass of members of the profession; and the issue must be of such a nature that if it is not dealt with, there will be long-range consequences for the profession itself. The remaining chapters in the book cover nine issues that meet these three criteria. These issues are: Chapter 2 - The Social Development Model as an Organizing Framework for Social Work Practice; Chapter 3 - Direct Practice: Model Framework for the Past, Present and Future; Chapter 4 - A Postmodern Justification for Holism in Social Work Practice; Chapter 5 - Assessing Competence for Social Work Practice: The Role of Standardized Tests; Chapter 6 - Breaking Away: The Potential and Promise of a Strengths-Based Approach to Social Work Practice; Chapter 7 - Toward a Politically Acceptable Reformulation of the American Welfare State; Chapter 8 - Issues in Social Work Education; Chapter 9 - An Exploration of Factors Explaining the Distinction and Achievement Levels of Social Work Editorial Boards; and Chapter 10 - Transnational Strategies for Social Work: Toward Effective Reciprocal Exchanges. Figures and index