Decision Making in Social Work (PDF)

Decision-making is a core skill in social work; it is crucial both to effective professional intervention and to successful practice outcomes. Yet it is a surprisingly neglected subject in the social work literature. This text offers a focused and systematic account of this complex and sometimes hazardous skill with the aim of providing practitioners with a clear and supportive framework for navigating their way successfully through difficult and demanding practice situations.Written in an accessible style and making imaginative use of case illustrations, it develops a framework chapter by chapter that addresses the social, organisational and psychological context of professional decision-making; the interests of different stakeholders; issues of power and oppression; and the processes involved in arriving at a decision and evaluating the outcome. By identifying the components of sound decision-making and linking these with the realisation of long-term goals, the text highlights how to improve the quality of social work and promote the wellbeing of clients while recognising that in a world of scarce resources, contradictory demands and social inequalities, the best-informed and most considered decisions will not always lead to good outcomes.This text is essential reading for all those involved in social work, whether as students, practitioners, managers or educators.