Synopses & Reviews
Social work and child protection systems have for several decades been subject to cycles of crisis and reform, with each crisis drawing intense media and political scrutiny. In this book, Joanne Warner argues that to understand the nature of these cycles, we have to pay attention to the importance of collective emotions such as anger, shame, and fear. To do so, she introduces the concept of emotional politics. Using a range of cases from the United Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, Warner reveals that collective emotions are central to constructions of risk and blameand that they are generated and reflected by official documents, politicians, and the media. She also suggests strategies for challenging emotional politics, including identifying models for a more politically engaged stance for the social work profession.
Review
"This brilliant book takes our understanding of the emotional dynamics of social work, child protection, politics, power, and everyday life to an entirely new level. Intellectually rich yet always relevant to practice, it shows how under recognized emotions like disgust and visceral notions of respectability not only create definitions of child abuse, but also what it means to be a good citizen and parent."
Synopsis
Praise for the
First Edition
All readers will be drawn to the style of the book as well as its content. The structure will make sure that it is not just a -one-off-, being read as part of a course of study, but a book which is used frequently as a source of reference' - Child Abuse Review
The Second Edition of this best-selling textbook provides students and practitioners with a broad introduction to, and critical analysis of, the complex issues involved in child protection work. Chris Beckett's approachable style presents these issues in a clear and engaging way, all the time encouraging reflection and debate through such features as case examples and interactive exercises.
The book is fully comprehensive, considering key topics such as: the consequences for children of abuse and neglect; the reasons why some adults abuse and neglect children; the personal challenges involved in doing child protection work; and the organizational framework within which child protection work takes place. Other key features of this thoroughly revised Second Edition include:
-Fully updated content the book has been revised to incorporate new literature, research, legal and policy developments, including the recent Working Together guidelines
-Two new chapters these comprise a chapter on families where there is domestic violence, and a chapter on promoting strategies for bringing about change
-Interprofessional appeal the author addresses the book to all the professionals involved in child protection work, ensuring wide interdisciplinary appeal
The new edition of this highly successful textbook will be required reading for students studying social work and allied subjects, and an essential resource for all professionals involved in child protection work.
Chris Beckett is based at the Division of Social Work and Social Policy, Anglia Ruskin University. He is the author of three best-selling Sage textbooks: Human Growth and Development; Values and Ethics in Social Work (with Andrew Maynard); Essential Theory for Social Work Practice.
Find out more about Chris Beckett at the Anglia Ruskin University website
About the Author
Joanne Warner is a senior lecturer in social work at the University of Kent, UK.
Table of Contents
Introducing emotional politics
‘Heads must roll’? The politics of national anger and the press
Hidden in plain sight: poverty and the politics of disgust
From crisis to reform: the emotional politics of child rescue and commemoration
Risk, respectability and the emotional politics of class
The emotionality of official documents: the serious case review as an active text
Comparative perspectives: cultures of difference and convergence
Towards a new emotional politics of social work and child protection.