Sage Publications Social Work and ICT

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become an integral part of social and working lives. Within social work ICTs play a vital role, helping professionals to store and share information and contributing to new forms of practice. This book goes a step further than simply describing ICT skills, but asks why ICT is used and how this affects practice and the experience of people who use services. The book has a practical focus and includes guidance on: Best Practice for Social Work and ICT ICT Use in Social Work Service Users, Carers and ICT Technology and Professional Practice ICT and Social Work Agencies Social Work Programmes in the Virtual World ICT and Practice Based Learning Written in a student-friendly style, Social Work and ICT is interspersed with activities and exercises to enable students to develop their skills and knowledge. Each chapter also includes a ′Taking it Further′ section with useful websites, suggestions for further reading and ideas to improve practice. The book has been designed to enhance professional practice and it will be essential reading for all undergraduate programmes in social work. Review "This book in my view serves as a welcome and timely stimulus, challenging students to think beyond the skills involved in using ICT and the surface issues" - Ingrid Nix, The Open University "Excellent. A robust and critical analysis of the issues under discussion" - Tarsem Singh Cooner, University of BirminghamThis book is aptly described as student-friendly, practical and intended to consider why ICT is used and how this affects social work practice. Targeted mainly at a student audience it critiques how information and communication technologies have become increasingly entwined in social work practice. It is a welcome addition to the social work literature. -- Dr Kathryn Hay ― Aotearoa New Zealand Social WorkThis text is a welcome addition to the small but growing number of texts that address the interface between social work and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)....They convincingly outline the growing centrality of ICT in social work practice and leave us in no doubt that all social workers must become informed about developments in this field. -- Gloria KirwanThe technological revolution is changing how we practice, how we learn, and how we interact―of this there is no doubt. Hill and Shaw have outlined the challenges we face clearly and comprehensively. The question remains, how should social workers respond? The authors have advocated for a social work-led, and practice-led model to guide us through this changing landscape, and their book is a solid foundation on which to begin the journey. -- Susan Bliss About the Author Dr. Ian Shaw is S R Nathan Professor of Social Work at National University of Singapore and Professor Emeritus at the University of York, England. He was the first chair of the European Social Work Research Association (ESWRA) and a founder editor of the journal Qualitative Social Work. He has authored almost 100 peer-reviewed papers, more than 20 books, 60 book chapters, and various research reports. He has written extensively in the journals on issues arising from the relationship between social work and sociology over the last century. His more recent books include Social Work Science (2016) and Research and the Social Work Picture (2018). He is pursuing a graduate programme in creative writing, which sits alongside his interests in gardening, his local church, volunteering in his village shop, playing badminton (badly), and Bob Dylan.