Community and Human Services: Concepts for Practice offers an introduction to the key concepts, theories and perspectives of community and human services in Australia. It outlines the more challenging and emerging fields of practice to prepare students for practice in a range of helping professions and illustrate the real-life situations they may encounter with clients.

The book emphasises the importance of self-reflective practice and teaches students the practical skills they will need to become an effective human services worker. The history of the industry is explored to provide a background to expand student understanding of social policy, legislation and human service organisations.

Features of this book:

• Includes coverage of self and self-care (Ch. 5) within potentially traumatic and violent workplaces
• Edited by experts across the human services sector, it provides a solid background to the different fields of practice in the Australian human services industry.
• Provides a history of the industry to expand student understanding of social policy, legislation and human service organisations.
• Key terms and definitions draw attention to terminology and definitions used in human services material.
• Implications for Practice activities demonstrate the reflective practice requirements tied to case examples.

Foreword (Sha Cordingly, ACWA President)

Preface

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

Section 1: Concepts and Change

1. Choice, Challenge and Change
   Karen Crinall & Lynda Berends
2. Community and Human Services: Past and Present
   Jane Miller, Jenny Martin & Linette Hawkins
3. Clients and Workers
   Christina Sadowski & Stacey Ratcliffe

Section 2: Identities and Relationships

4. Key Actors and Stakeholders
   Margaret Pack
5. Self and Others
   Debra Manning & Karen Crinall
6. Families and Communities
   Joanie Smith

Section 3: Practices and Settings

7. Engaging and Changing
   Myfanwy Maple & Linda Turner
8. Organisations and Locations
   Lynda Berends & Karen Crinall
9. Fields of Practice 
   Lynda Berends & Karen Crinall

Section 4: Knowledge, Culture and Action

10. Cultures and Beliefs
    Tracie Mafile’o
11. Exploring, Explaining and Knowing
    Karen Crinall & Lynda Berends
12. Acting and Responding
    Jane Cowie
13. Concepts in Practice
    Karen Crinall & Lynda Berends

Karen Crinall is Associate Dean at the Faculty of Education and Arts at Federation University

Lynda Berends is Director of TRACE, President of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs and Visiting Fellow at UNSW

Read a sample of Community and Human Services:

Chapter 6: Families and Communities