In 2024, following years of austerity, political instability and external shocks including Brexit, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis, the Labour Party was voted into power in the UK. This book is the first in-depth analysis of the Labour government from a social policy perspective.Through expert chapters covering broad themes such as public expenditure, public opinion and devolution, and substantive areas including children and families, health, education, housing, social secu...

A must read, heart filling book for all ages. The Magical Healing Wood is a magical insightful way to look at grief.When grief consumes and overtakes daily living, the concept of creative thinking can be a little miracle, in challenging thoughts. This book will be a guide to prompts alternative ways to be in and around nature for all readers.Take a read, take some aspects of the book and make your own magic.

Focusing on the policy approaches of Conservative governments since 2015, this book examines key social policy areas including education, health, housing, employment, children and young people, and more.Respected social policy researchers explore the degree to which the positions and policies of recent Conservative governments have differed from the previous Coalition government (2010–15). They consider the extent to which austerity has continued and the influence of other policy e...

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence.The public and parliamentary debate about UK abortion law reform is often diverted away from key moral and political questions by disputes regarding basic questions of fact. And all too often, claims of scientific ‘fact’ are ideologically driven.But what effect would decriminalisation be likely to have on women’s health? What would be the impact on the incidence of abortions? Would decriminalisation equate to deregulation, sweepi...

Investigates how depictions of young people in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century America use artifice to destabilize pre-existing narratives of truth, news, and fact.Cub Reporters considers the intersections between children's literature and journalism in the United States during the period between the Civil War and World War I. American children's literature of this time, including works from such writers as L. Frank Baum, Horatio Alger Jr., an...

With international human rights under challenge, this book represents a comprehensive critique that adds a social policy perspective to recent political and legalistic analysis.Expert contributors draw on local and global examples to review constructs of universal rights and their impact on social policy and human welfare. With thorough analysis of their strengths, weaknesses and enforcement, it sets out their role in domestic and geopolitical affairs.Including a forward by...

Adult social care has emerged as a distinct policy area in the UK and one which has come under increasing scrutiny by government and other bodies. With the expectation that in future many more adults will need care and support, ideas have emerged about a ‘transformation’ of adult social care.The focus of this wide-ranging book is on the major themes in policy and provision including personalisation, integration, user participation, the cost of long term care, risk and safeguarding,...

As the system of governance and delivery of social welfare in the UK radically changes, this important new book argues that the extent of this change is such that it could be considered a fundamental transformation or even a revolution. It shows how a new public governance perspective has replaced the dominance of new public management, reflecting the increasingly plural and fragmented nature of public policy implementation. Drawing on examples across a range of policy areas it assesses ho...

An understanding of social policy is vital for engaging practically with social work values, and dealing with political and ethical questions about responsibility, rights and our understanding of ‘the good society’. This textbook provides a comprehensive introduction to social policy, tailored to the needs of a social work audience.The new edition of this popular and accessible text analyses current policies and policy themes relevant to social work, and locates them in the context...

With women in the UK construction industry constituting just thirteen per cent of the workforce and black and Asian workers numbering less that two per cent, despite representing more than six per cent of the working population, diversity is a problem that the construction industry needs to tackle directly.In this title, diversity management is presented as an opportunity for the construction industry. Work is presented from several different countries and regions, in North America...

A comprehensive, research-based introduction to healthcare management, covering healthcare systems, services, organisations and management.

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...