Social Work and Disability - (Social Work in Theory and Practice) by Peter Simcock & Rhoda Castle (Paperback)

About the Book

Social Work and Disability offers a contemporary and critical exploration of social work practice with people with physical and sensory impairments, exploring how social work practice can, and indeed does, contribute to the promotion of disabled people's rights and the securing of positive outcomes in their lives.

Book Synopsis

Social Work and Disability offers a contemporary and critical exploration of social work practice with people with physical and sensory impairments, an area that has previously been marginalized within both practice and academic literature. It explores how social work practice can, and indeed does, contribute to the promotion of disabled people's rights and the securing of positive outcomes in their lives.

The book begins by exploring the ways in which disability is understood and how this informs policy and practice. Opening with a thought-provoking account of the lived experience of a disabled person using social work services, it goes on to critically analyse theory, policy and contemporary legislative change. Inequality, oppression and diversity are the focus of the second section of the book, while the remainder offers an in-depth exploration of the social work practice issues in disability settings, notably work with children, adults and safeguarding. Service-user and carer perspectives, case profiles, reflective activities and suggestions for further reading are included throughout.

Social Work and Disability will be essential reading for social work students and practitioners. It will also be of interest to service users and carers, students on health and social care courses, third-sector practitioners and advocates.

Review Quotes

Simcock and Castle offer a critical but balanced account of the role, function and context of social work with disabled people. The book is clear in asserting that social workers have an important and often positive role in the lives of disabled people. Countering some earlier texts which tended to be anti-social work and anti-professional, the authors make plain the barriers to enabling social work and the way the policy environment makes life challenging for disabled people and social workers. Optimistic in tone and practical in orientation, I would recommend it for practice and policy audiences alike.
Alan Roulstone, University of Leeds

This book is a very welcome addition to the limited literature on social work practice with disabled people. Its strength lies in linking a social model discourse with contemporary challenges for social work practice in this area. As such it "bridges the gap" between theoretical concepts and practice realities. It will serve as an excellent resource for discussion and debate with social work students.
David Mercer, Leeds Beckett University

About the Author

Peter Simcock is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Staffordshire University
Rhoda Castle was formerly Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Applied Social Studies at Staffordshire University