Social Work

Fields of Practice
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-09385-5
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 482 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

The fourth edition of Social Work: Fields of Practice outlines social work practice with various groups and across a range of key practice contexts.

Focussing on structures, policies and practice fields that draw on the Australian experience and milieu, this book examines social work practice alongside cultural diversity, Indigenous Australians, mental health, and child and family dynamics. The textbook presents 31 essential chapters, divided into four sections: Theories and Methods, Social Work with Particular Groups and Communities of Interest, Practice Settings, and Emerging Trends and Issues.

This volume addresses all fields covered by the Australian Practice Standards, required for social work accreditation. It will also be of interest to social work students and practitioners based in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Undergraduate Advanced, and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Alston, Margaret

Bennett, Bindi

Foote, Wendy

Betts, David

Buykx, Penny

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1.Introduction  Section 1: Theories and Methods  2.Context of Australian Social Work 3.Aboriginal Peoples, Anti-Racist Practice, and Confronting White Supremacy in Social Work 4.Social work theory in practice 5.Trauma and resilience 6.Social workers and policy practice  Section 2: Social Work with Particular Groups and Communities of Interest  7.Relational Practice Grounded in Country: Working with Aboriginal Peoples 8.Working with Women 9.Social work with men 10.Working with LGBTIQ+ People and Communities  11.Social Work and People with Disability  12.Working with young people  13.Working with older people  14.Social work in an ethnically and culturally diverse Australia  15.Neurodivergent-Affirming Practice  Section 3: Practice Settings  16.Social work in the healthcare context  17.Social Work in Legal Settings  18.Social work practice in education settings  19.Social Work Practice in Mental Health  20.Social work in the field of income support 21.Child and Family Social Work  22.Indigenous cultural practice in family services social work  23.Criminal Justice  24.Social Work in Private Practice  25.Community development as a field of social work practice  26.Rural and remote social work practice  Section 4: Emerging Trends and Issues  27.Digital Social Work 28.Social work and disaster practice  29.Social work practice in faith-based organisations  30.Social Work at the End of Life  31.Social work and sustainability

Über Autor(innen)

Margaret Alston is Professor of Social Work at the University of Newcastle. She has undertaken a number of research projects across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region and has published widely on gender, rurality, social work and disasters. In 2025 she was recognised as being in the top 2% of social scientists in the world.

Bindi Bennett (she/her) is a Gamilaraay woman, mother, and social worker and is a Professorial Research Fellow and Deputy Director Indigenous Research at Federation University living, playing and working on Jinibara lands. She is a social justice scholar, a compassionate radical and activist requesting transformational change. Her research areas are disability/neurodivergence, Remote, Rural and Regional Aboriginal wellbeing and AI in the First Nations space.

Wendy Foote teaches social work and research at the University of Newcastle. She has had a long engagement with child protection as a practitioner and has worked across different areas of the system, including forensic assessments, counselling and support of families, family therapy in response to child sexual abuse, and out of home care policy. Wendy has also collaborated with sector stakeholders and contributed to policy development and advocacy for reform in NSW and Australia.

David Betts is a Senior Lecturer in the Social Work program in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle. His research interests include gerontology, queer studies, and social work practice. His research focuses on how queer spaces develop and change over time, how readers engage with queer representation within young adult literature, and how older queer adults create and develop supportive interpersonal networks.

Penny Buykx is an Associate Professor in the Social Work program in the School of Humanities, Creative Industries, and Social Sciences at the University of Newcastle. She lives and works on the unceded lands of the Awabakal people. Much of Penny’s research work has involved examining barriers to equitable access to services. In addition to her research, Penny enjoys her role as an educator, teaching social work research methods and public policy.