Complexity in Social Work

Rick Hood is a registered social worker and Professor of Social Work in the Department of Social Work and Social Care at Kingston University. He studied modern languages at Cambridge University and spent a number of years doing youth and community work in Germany and France before training and practising as a social worker in South London. Most of his teaching and research has been in the field of children′s social care, covering topics such as complexity, inequality, assessment and decision-making, reunification from care, interprofessional working, domestic abuse and child protection, and the inspection of services.

• Introduction: What is complexity?PART ONE: WORKING WITH COMPLEX CASESChapter 1: Understanding complex needsChapter 2: Managing uncertainty, volatility and driftChapter 3: Making decisions and judgementsChapter 4: Building and maintaining relationshipsChapter 5: Reflecting on practiceChapter 6: Working interprofessionallyPART TWO: ENGAGING WITH COMPLEX SYSTEMSChapter 7: Addressing complexity in research and evaluationChapter 8: Organising services to manage complexityChapter 9: Developing policies for social problemsConclusion: Final reflections

This book provides good coverage on aspects of complexity in social work. It encompasses several features that generate complexity and decision making in social work. This book’s approach makes various landscapes of complexity easy to understand. This makes the book accessible to students and practitioners.