Fully revised and restructured, this fresh edition offers students and trainee social workers an incisive and authoritative introduction to the subject. As well as entirely new sections on theory and practice, the expert contributions which have shaped the companion's leading reputation have been updated and now include innovative standalone essays on social work theory. Comprehensively reworked new edition comprising six substantive sections covering essential topics for trainee social workers - in effect, six books in one Includes an extensive introduction and chapters by leading experts on the focus and purpose of social work Provides a unified textbook for trainees and an invaluable professional reference volume Features a wealth of new material on theory and practice alongside detailed expositions of the social and psychological framework, stages in the human life cycle, and the objectives and core components of social work Each chapter lists five key points to remember, questions for discussion, and recommendations for further reading