Doing social work in a statutory setting is a challenge that all social workers will face. Social workers are required to work with people who don’t necessarily want their help and who may be antagonistic or even hostile. In such cases, social workers must use their statutory powers with confidence and work effectively within the constraints of procedure and the law.   This thoughtful and practical book focuses on the universal skills that are needed to do this important kind of social work, and to do it well. Drawing on social work’s diverse knowledge base through extensive examples and case studies, Andrew Hill illustrates key skills in practice, such as responding to threats of violence and aggression, giving evidence in court, report writing, and coping with emotional issues. As well as promoting practical skills, the book underlines the importance of working as a reflective practitioner. It carefully outlines a framework for understanding the place of statutory work and how this may be consistent with empowerment and anti-oppressive practice, and with the straightforward desire to help others that brings people into social work in the first place.   This book is relevant to all social work settings including mental health, community care, youth justice, and child protection. It will be essential reading for social work students and newly qualified social workers who are facing up to the realities of social work in statutory settings for the first time.

Table of Contents:
Analytic Contents viii List of Summaries of Skills xiii Acknowledgements xv Introduction 1 Part I Context 7 Chapter 1 Legal and Organizational Context 9 The Legal Context 9 The Organizational Context 18 Pressures on Organizations with Statutory Functions 22 Further Reading 28 Answers to Exercise 1.1 28 Chapter 2 Aims and Ethics 30 The Aims of Social Work 32 Social Work Values 35 The Goals and Values of Social Work in Statutory Contexts 38 Anti-Oppressive Practice 41 Anti-Oppressive Practice in Statutory Contexts 45 The Influence of Postmodernism 47 Conclusion 50 Further Reading 51 Part II Skills 53 Chapter 3 Skills for Working in Organizations 55 Skills for Making Use of Supervision 55 Skills for Using Procedures 64 Conclusion 67 Further Reading 67 Chapter 4 Skills for Engaging with People 69 Skills for Establishing the Mandate for the Work 69 Respecting Human Rights 77 Building Partnerships 81 Communicating with Children 85 Dealing with Violence, Threats and Intimidation 90 Conclusion 93 Further Reading 94 Chapter 5 Skills for Assessing and Planning 95 Setting Up Assessments 97 Recording Information 105 Making Sense of Information: Using Formal Assessment Tools 108 Working with Other Professionals 113 Conclusion 116 Further Reading 116 Chapter 6 Skills for Court Work 118 Working with Legal Advice 119 Preparing Reports for Court 124 Negotiating with Other Parties to the Proceedings 131 Giving Oral Evidence 134 Managing Relationships with Service Users during and after Proceedings 136 Conclusion 138 Further Reading 138 Chapter 7 Skills for Promoting Change 139 Motivation to Change 141 Negotiating over Interventions 148 Thinking Systemically 154 Conclusion 157 Further Reading 157 Chapter 8 Ending, Evaluating and Reflective Practice 158 Skills for Managing Endings 159 Skills for Evaluation 163 Skills for Reflective Practice 169 Conclusion 178 Further Reading 179 Appendix: National Occupational Standards for Social Work 180 References 183 Index 193