Complexity Theory for Social Work Practice, 1st ed. 2024
Auteurs : McDermott Fiona, Brydon Kerry, Haynes Alex, Moon Felicity
This textbook provides a grounding in complexity theory, demonstrating how it can influence and shape social work interventions in policy, management, and practice, as well as forming an epistemological and methodological basis for research. It provides a contemporary theoretical basis for social work practice, equipping social workers to work in a 21st-Century world.
The authors argue that the history of social work demonstrates the profession's engagement with the social and structural problems of each era since its emergence 150 years ago. However, in the 21st Century, such things as globalisation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change have highlighted that existing theories and practice models are insufficient to the task of working with the complicatedness of contemporary life in a fast-changing world. Distilling the central tenets of Complexity Theory and the notion of complex adaptive systems in partnership with pragmatism, the book provides practice perspectives and guidelines which build on social work's enduring commitment to understanding the person-in-context. The recognition that social workers require conceptual and theoretical agility to work across micro, meso and macro 'levels' remains central, but the argument is made that their focus and practice must primarily be at the meso level. The authorship of combined academic and practice expertise enables such perspectives to be brought to life through the theoretical and practical analysis of conceptual and 'real-world' challenges.
- Part I: Complex Practice in a Complex World
- Part II: Thinking Complexity in Practice
- Part III: Thinking Complexity in Public Policy, Research and Education
Part I: Complex practice in a complex world
Chapter 1: Introduction: social work in a changing world
Chapter 2: The strengths and limitations of social work
Chapter 3: Becoming a complexity thinker: towards an epistemology of social work practice
Chapter 4: Thinking complexity and acting pragmatically
Part II: Thinking complexity in practice
Chapter 5: Early doing and thinking complexity: the Multiple and Complex Needs Initiative - Margaret Hamilton
Chapter 6: Thinking complexity across fields of practice: children and older people
Chapter 7: Thinking complexity in management
Chapter 8: Thinking complexity in community developmentChapter 9: Thinking complexity in hospital social work practice
Part III: Thinking complexity in Public Policy, Research and Education
Chapter 10: Thinking complexity in public policy
Chapter 11: Thinking complexity in researchChapter 12: Thinking complexity in social work education and professional practice
Chapter 13: Next steps: what do we know about thinking complexity and acting pragmatically in social work?
Fiona McDermott, BA., Dip Soc Studs., M. Urban Planning, PhD (Melb), has taught across the curriculum in the social work departments at The University of Melbourne and Monash University, where she is adjunct Associate Professor. From 2009 to 2018 she held a joint appointment in the social work departments of Monash University and Monash Health, her role being to establish and develop practitioner research. She was Editor of the journal Australian Social Work from 2017-2022. Her publications are in the fields of research development, health and mental health, and working with groups. Fiona has published several books, many book chapters and refereed articles. She has a particular interest in qualitative research approaches and practitioner research.
Kerry Brydon, B. Comm. BSW (Melbourne), MSW (research) (Monash), PhD (Monash), has always been a practitioner at heart. She commenced practice in statutory welfare where she remained for over two decades: as well as working as a stipendiary probation and parole officer she also worked with complex, multi-problem families in the then child welfare and later child protection fields. She had responsibilities at case work, supervisory, management and case planning levels. She then spent a decade in academia, at Monash University, teaching at both undergraduate and post graduate levels as well as co-ordinating the first Australian tertiary program to offer a qualification in an offshore setting. She also became a participant in the collaborative program with the University of Papua New Guinea striving to strengthen academic offerings from that university. More recently she has worked in the aged care sector where, once again, complexity permeates both client presentations and day-to-day interventions at all levels of service delivery.
Alex Haynes, PhD candidate (Monash); Grad Dip Business (RMIT); Grad Dip Environmental Studies (UA); BArch (UniSA), has a strong record of a
Offers new conceptual/theoretical perspectives of Complexity Theory partnered with Pragmatism for 21st Cent. social work
Provides insight into working effectively in practice contexts which are messy and unpredictable
Advances social work knowledge and theoretical understanding about ways of practicing in a dynamic, ever-changing world
Date de parution : 11-2023
Ouvrage de 210 p.
15.5x23.5 cm
Disponible chez l'éditeur (délai d'approvisionnement : 15 jours).
Prix indicatif 89,66 €
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Mots-clés :
complexity theory; social work practice; social work research; complex adaptive systems; human services management; community development; theoretical perspectives in social work; complexity-informed practice; social work theory; social work education; child protection; aged care; hospital settings; management practice; complexity theory-informed social work practice
