Abstract
Many social workers face daily pressure to make sound decisions in very difficult circumstances, occasionally having to manage impossible expectations. Politicians and the media may spotlight care decisions where a tragedy or complaint occurs. In this complex arena of conflicting demands and considerations – from the public, the client, the family, the organisation – the professional needs a robust and yet flexible framework to inform practice decisions. This book is written to help social work practitioners and students make professional decisions with clients; from exercising statutory powers and duties to protect children from abuse, to making decisions about risk.Contents: • Introduction • Roles, concepts and frameworks for decision making • Crises, emotions and supporting client decision making • Consent, human rights and reasonable decisions in law • Collaborative and contested decisions • Professional judgement, bias and using knowledge • Safeguarding judgements and predicting harm • Taking risks: values, gains and hazards • Assessment tools and decision support systems • Dynamic decision making and care decision pathways • Managing decisions: support, blame and learning • Conclusion
Original language | English |
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Publisher | Learning Matters |
Number of pages | 185 |
ISBN (Print) | ISBN: 9781844453597 |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - Mar 2010 |
Keywords
- decision making
- social work
- crisis
- risk
- assessment
- prediction
- negligence
- professional judgement
- care decision pathway.