Messy Social Work

Learning from Frontline Practice with Children and Families

Richard Devine, Andrew Turnell

$57.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Jessica Kingsley Publishers
21 May 2025

Child welfare; Social work

Social work is a complex career - a hugely rewarding way to make a difference in people's lives, paired with an enormous responsibility to get it right. This (unofficial) guide, grounded in the author's decade-long experience on the front line of child protection, explores the intersection between these points and how to handle the challenges of the job while celebrating its joys.

This isn't a tidy list of textbook situations and perfect solutions - there are mistakes of all shapes and sizes, there are consequences, and (most importantly) there are reflections on what went wrong and how to not do the same thing in your own practice. Case studies and vignettes look into the realities of child protection from both perspectives, and what happens when what should happen doesn't match with what does.

By: Richard Devine
Foreword by: Andrew Turnell
Imprint: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 226mm, Width: 148mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 283g
ISBN: 9781805010067
ISBN 10: 1805010069
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 21 May 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Richard Devine is a qualified social worker with over 10 years' experience, with an MSc in Attachment Studies, and is Visiting Researcher at Cambridge University.

Reviews for Messy Social Work: Learning from Frontline Practice with Children and Families

Richard brilliantly encapsulates child protection practice, from both a personal and academically informed perspective, making this book a 'must-read' for social work students and practitioners. Richard's story of his journey into social work, and his passion for the job, illustrated through episodes from practice, provide deep insights into this challenging and complex work. -- Dr Tessa Godfrey, University Lecturer, University of Greenwich