Additional Information
Book Details
Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have become an integral part of social and working lives. Within social work ICTs play a vital role, helping professionals to store and share information and contributing to new forms of practice. This book goes a step further than simply describing ICT skills, but asks why ICT is used and how this affects practice and the experience of people who use services.
The book has a practical focus and includes guidance on:
Best Practice for Social Work and ICT
ICT Use in Social Work
Service Users, Carers and ICT
Technology and Professional Practice
ICT and Social Work Agencies
Social Work Programmes in the Virtual World
ICT and Practice Based Learning
Written in a student-friendly style, Social Work and ICT is interspersed with activities and exercises to enable students to develop their skills and knowledge. Each chapter also includes a 'Taking it Further' section with useful websites, suggestions for further reading and ideas to improve practice. The book has been designed to enhance professional practice and it will be essential reading for all undergraduate programmes in social work.
This book is aptly described as student-friendly, practical and intended to consider why ICT is used and how this affects social work practice. Targeted mainly at a student audience it critiques how information and communication technologies have become increasingly entwined in social work practice. It is a welcome addition to the social work literature.
Dr Kathryn Hay
Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work
"This book in my view serves as a welcome and timely stimulus, challenging students to think beyond the skills involved in using ICT and the surface issues" - Ingrid Nix, The Open University
"Excellent. A robust and critical analysis of the issues under discussion" -
Tarsem Singh Cooner, University of Birmingham
The technological revolution is changing how we practice, how we learn, and how we interact—of this there is no doubt. Hill and Shaw have outlined the challenges we face clearly and comprehensively. The question remains, how should social workers respond? The authors have advocated for a social work-led, and practice-led model to guide us through this changing landscape, and their book is a solid foundation on which to begin the journey.
Susan Bliss
This text is a welcome addition to the small but growing number of texts that address the interface between social work and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)....They convincingly outline the growing centrality of ICT in social work practice and leave us in no doubt that all social workers must become informed about developments in this field.
Gloria Kirwan