Self-Leadership in Social Work: Reflections from Practice

Product Description This book is a call for confident, skilled and knowledgeable practice in social work. The current managerialist agenda has restricted judgement and the exercise of discretion in the profession, and, more damagingly, has played down the social justice components of social work, as well as the responsibilities for therapeutic and change-orientated interventions. This book explores how, through strong self-leadership, social workers can both explain and demonstrate how social work can achieve positive change. Offering a fresh and innovative view on leadership for social workers, managers of social services and social work students at all levels, the book identifies tactics and strategies to provide leadership both within a team and in senior positions. Review "Drawing on extensive experience as practitioner, manager and passionate advocate for relationship-based social work, Bill McKitterick's analysis of the centrality of leadership throughout a social worker's career is thoroughly researched and scholarly but also intensely personal." June Thoburn, University of East Anglia Review ''A great handbook that every social worker should read'' British Journal of Social Work About the Author Bill McKitterick is a social worker now working in supervision and leadership. He has been a director of social services for ten years, including leading workforce development. He has worked in programmes to improve social work practice in local authority services following critical inspections and has contributed through the British Association of Social Workers and the College of Social Work to the national reform programme.