Equality and Diversity in Social Work Practice

Social workers must develop a sensitive yet informed approach when working with service users from different social and cultural groups. In many aspects of life, including accessing human services, people are marginalized, ignored, stigmatised or discriminated against because of one or more aspects of their identity: from age, sexual orientation, faith or belief, gender, race or ethnicity, social class, and disability. This book acts as a guide for students to develop their understanding of these various groups while illustrating how the social work value base can be a central part of such understanding.

Chris Gaine is Professor of Applied Social Policy at the University of Chichester. He was formerly a senior teacher in a comprehensive school in Wiltshire and for many years he ran the University of Chichester's MA(Ed) programme. Chris writes extensively on the educational experiences of ethnic minorities outside the larger urban areas -a subject on which he has written three books, edited a further three and co-wrote the DCSF guidelines on countering racist bullying. He has a particular interest in making the complex social arguments about race and difference accessible to young people. Professor Jonathan Parker is Head of Social Work and Learning Disability at Bournemouth University and, with colleagues, has developed the Centre for Social Work and Social Care Research. He is currently vice-chair of the Joint University Council Social Work Education Committee. Greta Bradley is a senior lecturer in social work at the University of York. Her academic interests are in community care and workforce studies in social work. Her most recent research is on aspects of sustainable practice in social work. She is a former editor of Practice.