Book review
Title: Social Work with Children & Families
Author(s): Maureen O'Loughlin and Steve O'Loughlin
Year: 2008
Edition: 2
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Learning Matters
ISBN: 9781844451449
Price: £15
Reviewer: Caroline James, Childline Supervisor, NSPCC
Review date: 11/12/2008
Table of contents and more information
This book from the Transforming Social Work Practice series is well written, informative and structured around the National Occupational Standards (NOS). It is an introduction to the skills and knowledge needed for working with children and families and sets the work in context using case studies and exercises. The book focuses on four of the key areas: family support, safeguarding children, working with children with disabilities and children in the Looked After System. I would use this book with Social Work students on placement as it gives an excellent introduction to Social Work practice with children and families. As a Practice Assessor from a counselling background working in a voluntary agency I have found this book very valuable in understanding how social workers work with children and families and would also recommend it to my colleagues and to the volunteers and staff that I manage.
The book is well laid out and there is a good index, chapter summaries, further reading lists, case studies plus activities on self-reflection and assessment. Each chapter starts with how it will begin to help students meet particular NOS and lists the key roles and academic standards as set out in the social work subject benchmark statement.
Chapter 1, by Steve O’Loughlin, covers diversity of families and developing an understanding of our own starting points. There are activities including thinking about scenarios and considering our own beliefs and values about how children should be controlled and disciplined. There’s a section on juggling personal, professional, agency and societal values and ethics and the conflicts and dilemmas this can pose, plus how values and ethics influence social work practice. It also focuses on personal self-evaluation and reflection and developing problems solving skills.
Chapter 2, by Maureen O’Loughlin and Julie Bywater, gives a historical account of the legal basis of social work with children and families and the current provision. It covers the Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters, Care Matters and the Children and Adoption Act 2006 plus the Staying Safe Provisions. It asks the reader to consider what they can do to make a difference to the lives of children who suffer abuse. It puts the work in context and shows how it has changed whilst also outlining forthcoming changes.
Chapter 3, by Nicky Ryden, looks at family support and the role of the social worker in this. Which values are most important: personal, professional, agency or societal? It also outlines the Assessment Framework and Children and Families in Need. It introduces ideas around supportive and preventative social work. The characteristics of family support are explored plus how needs are defined and the importance of the assessment process. There are useful case examples of family support interventions.
Chapter 4, by Julie Bywater, looks at child protection issues and safeguarding. It explores the dilemma for social work since physical punishment of children is not illegal. It covers the categories and definitions of abuse and core assessment. Mention is made of the particular impact of domestic violence, drug and alcohol problems and mental illness/distress on children.
Chapter 5, by Jackie Hughes, looks at children with disabilities and how society’s attitude has changed towards children with disabilities towards more inclusivity and openness, the focus on seeing and working with the child rather than the disability. Different models of disability are also explored.
Chapter 6, by Maureen O’Loughlin and Steve O’Loughlin, looks at substitute care for children – foster care, residential, institutional and adoption and explores the complexity and dilemmas that arise in this area.
I found this book invaluable as an introduction to the topic and I will be referring to it a lot in my work managing volunteers and staff on a helpline and assessing social work students on placements with my organisation.
