Textbooks
Policy Press publishes a range of textbooks and other learning resources across the social sciences to suit a variety of course and learning needs. These are designed with students in mind and include many accessible features – from case studies and chapter summaries, to revision questions and illustrative boxes and diagrams.
The majority of our textbooks are available as consumer eBooks as well as in print and we are happy to discuss bespoke options such as print and digital packages or creating unique collections to suit your course needs. Our content is available through the key institutional content providers VitalSource and Kortext in early 2015, allowing seamless integration with VLE platforms. If you would like to discuss how we could help with your course resources, please contact pp-sales@bristol.ac.uk.
For more information about our textbooks, please see Information for Lecturers.
Transforming society?
Social work and sociology
This book explores the sociological basis of contemporary society and shows how social workers experience tensions and contradictions in practice.
Black issues in social work and social care
This book builds upon popular texts addressing anti-discriminatory frameworks but focuses specifically upon black perspectives in social work. It addresses new developments and charts the impact of social changes and new literature shaping social work theory and practice with black and minority individuals, families and communities.
Social Work with People with Learning Difficulties
Making a Difference
Full of up-to-date case studies, practice examples and points for reflection, this exciting textbook explores theoretical frameworks for working with people with learning difficulties.
Residential Child Care in Practice
Making a Difference
This highly practical book, written by experienced practitioners and academics, is a core text about the practice of residential childcare, where workers and children share a common lifespace.
Understanding agency
Social welfare and change
This textbook provides a straightforward introduction to the concept of agency and how it can usefully inform the practice of social welfare. Demonstrating a model of achievable change, it traces the origins of agency and explores the contributions of key thinkers from sociological and social policy perspectives.
Social work in end-of-life and palliative care
Social work should help to strengthen individuals to achieve a respectful death and families to move forward in their lives. This valuable book focuses on practice interventions, advocating open communication and skilled interpersonal practice to help dying and bereaved people, their families and carers.
Social Work in the Community
Making a Difference
Social work in the community is a textbook offering practice guidance to students, practice assessors and practitioners on how social work practice takes place in the community within a political, theoretical, methodological and ethical framework.
Recording in social work
Not just an administrative task
This highly topical book explores the conflicting demands on social workers as they record information on case files, and will stimulate a debate on how to achieve more effective recording in social work.
Social Work and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans People
Making a Difference
This important textbook examines how practitioners and student social workers can provide appropriate care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people across the lifespan (including work with children and families and older people) and considers key challenges in social work practice.
What Works in Reducing Inequalities in Child Health?
This revised and updated edition of an important report looks at macro public policy interventions, community interventions, and individual level interventions in a variety of areas to ascertain 'what works' in practice. It includes new case studies, updated research references, and reference to cost effectiveness.
The Well-Connected Community
A Networking Approach to Community Development
There is a growing recognition of the importance of networking for the vitality and cohesion of community life. Now in its third edition, and substantially updated, this textbook combines practical experience and theory for people working with and for communities.