Child-Centred Practice: A Handbook for Social Work

Since the Munro report (2011), a greater emphasis has been placed on the value of child-centred practice in social work with children, young people and families. It has come to be recognised that social workers cannot make an assessment or intervene to safeguard children and promote positive outcomes without engaging with the children themselves. This involves recognising the rights of the child, getting to know who they are, what they need, how they feel about their situation, and what they want for their future.

Split into two distinct sections, this authoritative text focuses on the foundational knowledge required for child-centred work, unpacking the ethical and theoretical principles that form the basis of the approach and exploring current debates around working with children and families. Benefitting from the authors’ extensive experience in academia and practice settings, each chapter:

• provides insightful practitioner testimonials and case study examples to help the reader apply what they have learned to everyday practice
  
• highlights important research studies that give voice to children and young people, providing the reader with background knowledge of the evidence base for child-centred approaches
  
• includes engaging questions and activities to enable the reader to reflect on what they have learned, and make links to their own practice, values and beliefs.
  

With a strong focus on developing the reader’s practice skills, particularly in engaging and communicating with children, Child-Centred Practice is an essential handbook for students and professionals involved in this complex yet rewarding area of social work practice.