Quality Social Work

Description

This text offers a practical approach to maximizing quality in social work that is based on developing a working culture that empowers key stakeholders in the delivery of services, whether these are managers, practitioners, service users or carers. Aiming to transcend the constraints on professionalism imposed by managerialism and the contract culture, the book provides a critical appraisal of the main approaches to quality assurance and analyzes these in detail in relation to child care, community care, mental health and criminal justice.

ROBERT ADAMS is Professor of Human Services Development, attached to the Policy Studies Research Centre, University of Lincoln, and Visiting Professor of Social Work, University of Teesside. He has worked in social work and criminal justice settings and is the author of a number of books, including Social Policy for Social Work and Quality Social Work.

'It is heartening to see (at last) sound social work texts deconstructing managerialism in the social services. Adams goes further here and offers us a possible model of quality that is grounded in a more authentic process of improving service to users, their carers, practitioners and managers.' - Social Work Review