Description

Is social work The Assessment Profession? This book
argues that assessment is a defining feature of
professional social work and it analyses how the
power of assessment pervades both individual and
institutional practices. Social workers roles and
tasks are increasingly shaped by the need to carry
out social assessments of people s lives in complex
and contestable public welfare environments. At the
same time, social workers themselves are subject to
assessment of their competence and capability through
occupational standards and continuing education
requirements. In highlighting social work as uniquely
positioned within this nexus of assessment processes,
the author offers a historical and contemporary
synthesis of ideas that combine the critical social
theories of Habermas with the pioneering
constructivism of George Kelly s Personal Construct
Psychology. The book outlines an innovative research
enquiry which is used to explore the dilemmas and
opportunities of practice-based professional learning
and offers a conducive alternative approach to
assessment in social work. This book will be
important reading for students, practitioners and
social care educators.