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Social Work with Adults
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Social Work with Adults



October 2015 | 176 pages | Learning Matters
Social work with vulnerable adults is becoming increasingly centred on a key piece of legislation: the Mental Capacity Act. The Act provides a framework for protecting the vulnerable while allowing those who may lack capacity to have certain safeguards enshrined in law.

This book will help support students to learn two things: first, how the Mental Capacity Act operates and what its key principles are when applied to safeguarding adults; and second, what are the compassionate skills and values that need to be interwoven with legislative knowledge? The authors show how these two principles interact and inform one another and how taking a person-centred approach to safeguarding vulnerable adults will mean better outcomes for the individual and our wider society.
 

 
Introduction
 
Ethics and Vulnerability: Service Users and Social Workers
 
Decision Making in Work with Vulnerable Adults
 
Mental Capacity
 
Best Interests
 
Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS)
 
Adults at Risk
 
Personalisation and Partnership Working
 
The Assessed and Supported Year in Employment
 
Appendix 1: Professional Capabilities Framework

Good up to date overview of key issues, debates and developments in adults social work.

Dr Harriet Churchill
Department Of Sociological Studies, University of Sheffield
November 20, 2016

Thorough up to date text book for students or practitioners working with adults

Ms Karen Hillison
Department of Social Work, Hull University
November 2, 2016

A welcomed new text that covers key areas for Adult SW practice – good for assessed practice placements and practice - based modular teaching. The book has been written by a competent SW team of practitioner academics (as I’m currently an external examiner for Lincoln BSc SW programme).

I liked the increment nature of the book esp. important chapters on Mental Capacity and Best Interests (chapter 4 & 5). I was also grateful to see chapter 6 which concisely captured both the practice and ethical issues of DOLS which is often hard to convey to students in teaching so appreciate the applied case study activities.

Chapter 7 will also be useful for Safeguarding teaching (now a combined child and adult module for our MA & BA programmes). I like the inclusion of chapter 8 as personalisation is an area of research and writing interest for mine. The inclusion of chapter 9 (ASYE) was also good to broaden the appeal of this text book for both students, SW educators and practice educators.

Unfortunately, since SW curriculum reforms specialised applied Adult SW modules have since been merged into generic modules so I feel the importance and profile of Adult SW is being ‘diluted’ and lost so hopefully this text will continue to raise the fundamental importance of SW practice with Adults.

I suppose my only comment / observation – it would have been good to have had either as a theme throughout or a bespoke chapter on the Care Act 2014 principles and practices for Adult SW practice but appreciate this was text was probably written before the Act become enacted as this would have further strengthened it further in terms of readership / modular application and longevity.

Mr David Gaylard
Social Work Bishop Otter, Chichester University
July 30, 2016

This book will help students to identify and consider how to apply the key principles of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 when working to safeguard adults.

The case studies, reflective questions and practice learning points help the student to consolidate their knowledge and skills to work effectively with adults.

It enables the student to apply theoretical principles, professional values and skills and how this relates to everyday practice.

A good starting point for working with adults.

Mrs NICOLA HOWARD
School of Human Sciences, Swansea University
February 19, 2016
Key features

Key Need 1
Students studying either safeguarding, or the social work with adults units, must understand the function and role of the Mental Capacity Act

Key Feature 1
This book provides an introduction to the basic principles of the Act and then applies these to working with vulnerable adults to ensure best practice

Key Benefit 1
This book will give them a basic knowledge of the Act and help them on other modules including Law and Policy.

Key Need 2
In order to understand the assessment process and pass assignments and placements, students must be able to demonstrate how key themes such as Best Interest and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) are be applied to assessments of vulnerable adults.

Key Feature 2
Through pedagogy, including extensive case studies and practice dilemmas, the student will learn how to utilise DOLS and Best Interest to protect vulnerable adults from abuse

Key Benefit 2
Better understanding of assessments and using DOLS and Best Interest will help students pass unit assignments and practice placements. This book will also help them on other modules including Law and Social Policy.

Key Need 2
Students must learn that the Mental Capacity Act does not operate in a vacuum and to work effectively with vulnerable Adults, students must engage with ethical dilemmas and their own values base

Key Feature 3
The book looks in detail at various ethical considerations that arise from the use of legislation and the how social work value base can be applied to prevent poor practice.

Key Benefit 3
As students move into NQSW and the ASYE phase of their training, they will need to have a more nuanced understanding of the tensions that arise form social work values and state legislation. By exploring these considerations, this book will prepare students for the realities of practice. 

For instructors

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