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Social Work

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Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology

Introduction

Social work endeavors to help people to live more successfully within their local communities by helping them find solutions to their problems. In doing so, social workers work not only with individuals but with their families, neighbors, and friends, as well as with other organizations such as the police, medical professions, and schools. While predominantly concerned with the care and protection of those in need or at risk, it often involves the use of statutory powers over individuals, for example, in the removal of a child from its parents due to it being considered to be at risk of significant harm or the detention of someone against his or her will under mental health legislation.

The exact forms such interventions take, and the values that underpin them, will vary both historically and from country to country as sociopolitical and other cultural factors influence attitudes to, and provision for, the distressed and disadvantaged within a given society. With...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work and Social Change, Manchester Metropolitan University, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, 799 Wilmslow Road, Didsbury, Manchester, UK

    Kenneth McLaughlin

Authors
  1. Kenneth McLaughlin
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Correspondence to Kenneth McLaughlin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Thomas Teo

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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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McLaughlin, K. (2014). Social Work. In: Teo, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Critical Psychology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_654

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_654

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5582-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5583-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Sciences

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