Why is teacher education policy significant - politically, sociologically and educationally? While the importance of practice in teacher education has long been recognised, the significance of policy has only been fully appreciated more recently. Teacher education in times of change offers a critical examination of teacher education policy in the UK and Ireland over the past three decades, since the first intervention of government in the curriculum. Written by a research group from five c...

With social and community services coming under increasing pressure as austerity continues, Unfinished Business examines how social policy has operated in Ireland and how it has been affected by consistent government cutbacks. It examines a wide range of issues important to social care students, such as poverty, homelessness, disability, immigrants, mental health and many other issues pertinent to Irish society today. This book: Is the first Irish social po...

Social Work: The Basics is an insightful introduction to the often misrepresented world of social work. This accessible book presents a broad view of contemporary social work, exploring its roots and its possible future. It dispels myths surrounding social work, addresses media debates, and offers a balanced account of what social workers do. The book argues for a social work that is partisan in support of social justice. Questions covered include:How did social work...

Adult social care in Britain has been at the centre of much media and public attention in recent years. Revelations of horrific abuse in learning disability settings, the collapse of major private care home providers, abject failures of inspection and regulation, and uncertainty over how long-term care of older people should be funded have all given rise to serious public concern. In this short form book, part of the Critical and Radical Debates in Social Work series, Iain Ferguson and Mic...

Drawing on lessons from the recent history of social work to identify how and why it has lost its privilege and influence, this book challenges social work students to understand why social work has failed to maintain its position as a driver of social reform. Bamford looks forward to a new model of practice that places a commitment to put social justice back at the heart of professional practice.The book contributes to the topical debates about social work education and the identi...

A Handbook of Children and Young People’s Participation bringstogether key thinkers and practitioners from diverse contexts acrossthe globe to provide an authoritative overview of contemporary theoryand practice around children’s participation.Promoting the participation of children and young people - indecision-making and policy development, and as active contributorsto everyday family and community life - has become a central part ofpolicy...

A contemporary snapshot of Irish education, this book positions 21st-century Irish education at the centre of the creation of the knowledge economy and outlines the challenges and changes presented as a result of a changing education system and society. Part 1: The Changing System charts selected changes that have taken place in Irish education in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries and considers educations's role in building a knowledge economy and social cohesion Part 2: Diversity and Incl...

As health policy at a national level has ever increasing impact on local health services, it is essential that public health students understand how the development and implementation of policy and strategy provide the framework for improving quality, innovation, productivity and prevention in the delivery of healthcare.The book is divided into two sections, with section one covering a strategic overview of national policies, and section two giving specific local implementation of ...

With the proposed development of the ′youth professional′ and the consolidation of graduate professional qualifications, this is an important time for youth work. This book sets out the current state of debate about youth work for those considering, or about to embark on, a degree course. Contemporary debates in youth work are explored, and help to give students a sense of its history and its future contribution. By combining the experience of its editors and the contemporaneous experience...

All Social Work students are required to undertake specific learning and assessment in partnership working and information sharing across professional disciplines and agencies. Increasingly, social workers are also finding that they need to deal with a wide range of other professions as part of their daily work. It is essential therefore that social workers can work effectively and collaboratively with these professions while retaining their own values and identity. This updated second edi...

Understanding crime and social policy explores the interface between crime and social policy, drawing upon international theoretical developments and empirical research from within Criminology and Social Policy. Written by an experienced author, it uses analysis of policy-making under the New Labour and Conservative-Liberal Democrat governments to reflect upon the multiplicity of influences which shape the formulation and delivery of crime control policies, the changing nature of governmen...

This volume explores new directions of governance and public policy arising both from interpretive political science and those who engage with interpretive ideas. It conceives governance as the various policies and outcomes emerging from the increasing salience of neoclassical and institutional economics or, neoliberalism and new institutionalisms. In doing so, it suggests that that the British state consists of a vast array of meaningful actions that may coalesce into contingent, shifting...