Social Work in Ireland

During a period of great economic and political change and uncertainty this book offers a timely evaluation of social work in Ireland.Social Work in Ireland: Changes and Continuities has brought together a range of academics and professionals to provide a comprehensive analysis of social work in the Republic of Ireland. It addresses key questions such as 'How is social work in Ireland responding to rapidly changing social, cultural and economic circumstances?'; 'How will the new relationships between the state/NGO/private sectors impact on the provision of social services?' and 'How does, and will, social work respond to the needs of specific service user groups?' In addressing these questions the book explores key areas of practice, including child welfare, domestic violence, mental health, working with migrants and minority ethnic groups, substance misuse, probation services, and work with older people and people with a disability. This book is an essential read for students of social work and social care in Ireland and will also be of great interest to qualified practitioners in both the social work field and other social care professions.

'This is a vibrant and stimulating portrait by a community of social work scholars who analyse pressing social issues in a wide range of contexts with self-critical astuteness and who convincingly put forward their proposals for innovative practice that are of relevance well beyond this island's shores'. Professor Walter Lorenz, Rector, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. 'Crucial considerations are made of historical continuities and ruptures, changing migration patterns and new hierarchies of status and belonging; redefinitions of ethical choices. These fundamental questions are followed by significant chapters on various areas of practice. An excellent and timely collection'. Adrienne Chambon, Professor emerita, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Canada. 'Social Work in Ireland brings together academics from Ireland and captures the core of social work in its writing. No other text explores, offers the in-depth analysis or poses the critical questions of this book. It is a great achievement'. Professor McColgan, Head of School of Sociology and Applied Social Studies and Professor of Social Work, Ulster University, Northern Ireland. 'This collection of work, by many of Ireland's great social work scholars, captures both the defining features of social work and the important contribution that scholarly activity can make to understanding and responding to many of society's most pressing issues'. Dr John Devaney, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Alastair Christie is Professor of Social Work in the Department of Applied Social Sciences, University College Cork, Ireland. Brid Featherstone is Professor of Social Work at the Faculty of Health and Social Care, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK. Suzanne Quin is Dean of Social Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. Trish Walsh is Lecturer in Social Work at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.