For the social welfare policy course.

Help students connect social policy to the everyday practice of social work

The Policy-Based Profession provides students with a process for analyzing policies that will help them with their careers in social work. It offers a detailed foundation for policy analysis, including chapters on historical, economic and social policy analysis. Students then learn to apply the analysis framework to representative policies and issues in the fields of public welfare, aging, mental health and more.

The 7th Edition is correlated with the most recent Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Competencies. It includes the most recent research, theories and political developments impacting the field.

Hallmark features of this title

• Emphasizes the importance of practice by providing a practical framework for policy analysis that will sharpen readers' policy practice skills and be useful throughout their career.

New and updated features of this title

• NEW: A new chapter on immigration policy (Ch. 11) provides opportunities for readers to think critically about the hotly debated issues surrounding immigration. Many social work clients are immigrants. With recent and proposed changes to immigration policy, it's more crucial than ever that social workers familiarize themselves with information that can protect the well-being of their clients.
• NEW: Case vignettes illustrate the importance of understanding social welfare policy for direct practice social workers.
• UPDATED: The health chapter (Ch. 9) discusses some of the policies of those who favor repeal of the Affordable Care Act, specifically individual health savings accounts and separate high-risk insurance pools. There is also coverage of a little discussed health care reform approach: concierge medicine.
• UPDATED: The mental health chapter (Ch. 8) includes material on the opioid epidemic, problems faced by returning veterans, and recent responses to suicides caused by cyber bullying.
• UPDATED: New research and theory references, as well as references to the most current material, are infused throughout the text.