Social Policy for Effective Practice (PDF)

The fifth edition of Social Policy for Effective Practice offers a rich variety of resources and knowledge foundations to help social work students understand and contend with the continually evolving social policy landscape that surrounds them. The authors have continued their values-based approach and kept the focus on clients' strengths to help students position themselves for effective engagement on new fronts where policy threats and outcomes affect clients' lives in myriad ways.

The new edition comprehensively covers the process of defining need, analyzing social policy, and developing policy, and each chapter builds on the practical knowledge and skills forged from previous ones. New to this edition:

• Thorough examination of new policies, including challenges to the Affordable Care Act, voting rights, immigration, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, as well as situations involving substance use, mental health, and economic inequality.


• Expanded coverage of shifting demographics, including population diversity and aging.


• Increased connections drawn between historical, present, and potential future policy contexts


• Updated exercises, exhibits, and social media links in-text and an entire suite of web-based tools found through www.routledgesw.com, including complementary reading suggestions and teaching tips, a full library of lecture slides and exam questions, and EPAS guidelines.

For use as a resource in foundations generalist social policy courses, either at the baccalaureate or master's levels, the new edition of Social Policy for Effective Practice will challenge students to find areas of policy practice that spark their passion and prepare them to think about and use policy practice as a tool that can lead to the changes they care about.