Supporting People with Alcohol and Drug Problems: Making a Difference

Description

Social workers and other social care professionals regularly face the challenges of working with people with alcohol and other drug problems. Yet many receive little, if any, training for working with these issues. As substance use and its social impact on communities and families rises up the political agenda, this book offers a timely support for social workers and other social care staff working in this area. Supporting people with alcohol and drug problems addresses the current gap in social work and social care education. It provides a combination of research evidence, policy frameworks, and practical hints and tips for good social work practice. Based around practice examples supplied by social workers from both adults' and children's social care, it combines knowledge with action. It also provides an important introduction to the evidence base on assessment, intervention and partnership working with specialist substance use colleagues. This book is for all those working in children's and adults' social work and social care settings who are working with people who use, or have problems with, alcohol and other drugs.

Sarah Galvani is a Registered Social Worker, a Principal Research Fellow and Assistant Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care based at the University of Bedfordshire. Her practice in the UK and USA includes work with adults who are homeless, experience mental distress, have alcohol and other drug problems, and are victims of domestic abuses. She also loves riding her motorbike, walking on Lake District Fells and supports Liverpool Football Club.

" Sarah Galvani has produced a very important text. Substance misuse difficulties, in all their complexity, are woven into the fabric of society. People with difficulties sometimes noticed more for the problems they cause than the problems they face. This comprehensive text helps us to address both ethics and practise and will go a long way to build practitioner confidence and effectiveness. " --Rhoda Emlyn-Jones, Cardiff County Council and Consultant to Welsh Government IFSS. "Sarah Galvani has written an excellent text, which will vastly improve social workers knowledge of and skills in how to deal with alcohol and drug problems in their daily practice." --Richard Velleman, University of Bath. "An excellent and timely book. Its clear focus on social work practice and values is anchored in relevant research evidence, making it an invaluable resource for students and qualified practitioners." Rachel Lart, University of Bristol