1. Social Work Theories and Methods
Summary and Assessment Guidance
Nigel Horner

2. 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?

3. 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

4. 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?

5. 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)

6. 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

7. Theories and Methods
Theories are constructs of explanation: What’s Going On?
Methods are models of intervention, or practice: What Are We Going To Do About It?

8. Theory and Method Theories Methods Attachment Play work Learning
Cognitive development
Developmental or Existential Crisis
Loss
Eco systems
Methods
Play work
Behaviour modification
CBT
Humanistic counselling
Bereavement Counselling
Family Therapy or Social networking

9. 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

10. 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.

11. 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 questions………you have been taught the curriculum on which you will be assessed, and finally
We want you to pass and do well!

12. 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.