Social Work Theories and

Methods

Summary and Assessment Guidance

Nigel Horner
Lecture Overview
Charting our journey
Reminding ourselves of the Rationale
Revisiting Core Concepts
Relating to Practice
The Assessment Format
Key Tips for Success
Next Week
Any questions?
Charting Our Journey
Why this matters?
Distinguishing between Theory (of Explanation)
and Method (of Intervention)
Psychodynamic approaches
Behavioural and Cognitive Behavioural approaches
Systems models
Existential and Humanistic approaches
Crisis Intervention and Task Centred Practice
Strengths Based Approaches
Radical / Structural models
Reminding Ourselves of the Rationale
Indeed we have only the most general ideas
of what we are trying to produce, what
constitutes the essential skill of the social
worker, and consequently still more varied
ideas of how to set about it (Younghusband,
1959:28)
50 years on, do we know what social
workers do and how they do it?
The Current Definition
The social work profession promotes social
change, problem - solving in human relationships
and empowerment and liberation of people to
enhance well being. Utilising theories of human
behaviour and social systems, social work
intervenes at the points where people interact
with their environments. Principles of human
rights and social justice are fundamental to social
work (International Association of Schools of
Social Work and the International Federation of
Social Workers, 2001, in BASW, 2002)
The Purpose of Social Work Intervention

.the need for social work intervention

arises when the resources available to an
individual, family or community are
insufficient for them to achieve preferred or
required outcomes
In other words, social work intervention is a
response to the apparent incapacity of the
service user target to achieve their goals
without assistance from an external agency
Theories and Methods
Theories are constructs of
explanation: Whats Going On?
Methods are models of
intervention, or practice: What
Are We Going To Do About It?
Theory and Method
Theories Methods
Attachment Play work
Learning Behaviour modification
Cognitive CBT
development
Developmental or Humanistic counselling
Existential Crisis
Loss Bereavement Counselling
Eco systems Family Therapy or Social
networking
Relating to Practice
Intervention follows from and is bound together
with assessment and planning and relates to the
methods and models to be used to achieve changes
or outcomes that have been identified and agreed
(Parker, 2007: 118)
Intervention can thus be seen as situated as an
element in an apparently sequential process of
ASPIRE, APIE or APIR, although such linearity is
itself a contested notion
The Assessment Format
You may bring a dictionary, but no other text
books
You can bring in your set of notes, not copies of
slides, handouts etc:
You can bring in up to ten pages of your own
notes in. The idea is that you revise the material
from the books, handouts and articles which have
been recommended and make notes on all of the
relevant theories and methods.
And remember
~This is Level One.we are
seeking to ensure you have the basics for
practice.nothing more and nothing
less
There are no trick questionsyou
have been taught the curriculum on which
you will be assessed, and finally
We want you to pass and do well!
Key Tips for Success
Read about the subject..then read more!
Prepare good notes!
Take care with your use of English and aim to
communicate your meaning clearly.
Use short sentences, avoid too much jargon, and aim
to use clear practical examples and explanations in
relation to any theory or concepts that you mention.
Remember that there are links to other modules that
you have already studied and that it will pay to revisit
material e.g child development, mental health,
communication, values and ethics.