Campbell Killick - Assessment, Risk and Decision Making in Social Work

An Introduction

At SAGE we take sustainability seriously. Most of our products are printed in the UK using responsibly sourced papers and boards. When we print overseas we ensure sustainable papers are used as measured by the PREPS grading system. We undertake an annual audit to monitor our sustainability.

We are grateful to our clients, colleagues and students for all that we have learnt from them. In particular we would like to acknowledge the students on the Assessment and Risk Assessment in Practice Settings (undergraduate, qualifying) module, and the candidates on the Professional Decision Making in Social Work (post-graduate, post-qualifying) module for newly-qualified social workers. We would like to acknowledge the advice of Dr Roger Manktelow and Robyn Lennox with case study material. We are grateful to the staff at Sage for their encouragement and helpful advice. Last but not least, thanks to our families for their forbearance with this writing adventure.

During recent teaching sessions for student social workers I have been struck keenly by the changes permeating our contemporary world. Values and ethics lie at the heart of social work, and social work education, and we address these throughout all the books in the series. The positions that we take in terms of values and ethics is, to an extent, determined by context, time and experience and these are expressed in different ways by students coming into social work education today. Since the turn of this century we have witnessed shifts and challenges as the marketised neoliberal landscape of politics, economy and social life may attract little comment or contest from some. We have observed the political machinery directing much of statutory social work towards a focus on individuals apart from their environment. However, we have also seen a new turn to the social in the #MeToo campaign where unquestioned entitlement to womens bodies and psychology is exposed and resisted. We have seen defiance of those perpetuating social injustices that see long-term migrants alongside todays migrants abused and shunned by society, institutions as well as individuals. It is likely that, as a student of social work, you will lay bare and face many previously unquestioned assumptions, which can be very perplexing and uncover needs for learning, support and understanding. This series of books acts as an aid as you make these steps. Each book stands in a long and international tradition of social work that promotes social justice and human rights, introducing you to the importance of sometimes new and difficult concepts, and inculcating the importance of close questioning of yourself as you make your journey towards becoming part of that tradition.

There are numerous contemporary challenges for the wider world, and for all four countries of the UK. These include political shifts to the popular Right, a growing antipathy to care and support, and dealing with lies and alternative truths in our daily lives. Alongside this is the need to address the impact of an increasingly ageing population with its attendant social care needs and working with the financial implications that such a changing demography brings. At the other end of the lifespan the need for high quality childcare, welfare and safeguarding services has been highlighted as society develops and responds to the changing complexion. As demand rises so do the costs and the unquestioned assumption that austerity measures are necessary continues to create tensions and restrictions in services, policies and expectations.