Child Welfare Services

If readers take the time to look at less familiar areas they will not be disappointed. If this occurs the volume can truly be said to have been effective in deepening the readers' knowledge of and respect for other practitioners and their clients. -- International Social Work
In recent years, social work with children and families has become so dominated by investigations and monitoring that therapeutic work has been pushed aside. The Department of Health (1995) has put the case for redressing the balance and this book provides a welcome overview of how we can, effectively, help parents and children. The editor makes the case for an evidence based approach to practice. Each chapter presents a different therapeutic approach, giving a summary of the key elements and the underlying theory, a discussion on the available evidence on effectiveness, and an indication of when and how it can be used in practice. The range of methods covered include community, family and individual work. They also range from early years interventions designed to prevent problems, to services for children who have been the victims of abuse. This well-written book gives an excellent overview of current evidence on ways of helping families and is a valuable resource for social workers, whether as purchasers or providers of services. -- Professional Social Work