Social Work and the City

This book critically explores ways of thinking about the city and its relevance for the profession of social work. It provides a colourful illustration of practice drawing on examples of social work responses to a range of issues emerging from the unprecedented scale, density and pace of change in cities. The associated challenges posed for social work include: the increased segregation of the poor, the crisis of affordable housing, homelessness, gentrification, ageing, displacement as a result of migrations, and the breakdown of social support and care.

This book critically explores ways of thinking about the city and its relevance for the profession of social work. It provides a colourful illustration of practice drawing on examples of social work responses to a range of issues emerging from the unprecedented scale, density and pace of change in cities. The associated challenges posed for social work include: the increased segregation of the poor, the crisis of affordable housing, homelessness, gentrification, ageing, displacement as a result of migrations, and the breakdown of social support and care. Drawing on multiple disciplines, this groundbreaking work shows that these familiar features of the twenty-first century can be counteracted by the positive aspects of the city: its innovation, creativity and serendipity. It has a redistributive, caring and cohesive potential. The city can provide new opportunities and resources for social work to influence, to collaborate, to foster participation and involvement, and to extend its social justice mandate. The book shows that the city represents a critical arena in terms of the future of social work intervention and social work identity. In doing so, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of social work, social policy, community work and urban studies.

Part I. Making Sense of the City; Charlotte Williams.- Introduction and Overview.- Chapter 1. Social Work and the Urban Age.- Chapter 2. Beyond the Soup Kitchen.- Chapter 3. Reconstructing Urban Social Work.- Chapter 4. Researching the City: Possibilities for Social Work Research.- Part II. Social Issues and the City: New Directions in Practice.- Introduction; Charlotte Williams.- Chapter 5. Superdiversity and the City; Dirk Geldof.- Chapter 6. Ageing in Urban Environments: Challenges and Opportunities; Chris Phillipson and Mo Ray.- Chapter 7. Disabling Cities and Repositioning Social Work; Michael J. Prince.- Chapter 8. Care, Austerity and Resistance; Donna Baines.- Chapter 9. Homelessness in Western Cities; Carole Zufferey .- Chapter 10. Living on the Edge: New Forms of Poverty on the Urban Fringe; Sonia Martin and Robin Goodman.- Chapter 11. Educating for Urban Social Work; Susie Costello and Julian Raxworthy.- Conclusion. Urban Themes in 21st Century Social Work; Charlotte Williams.

This book critically explores ways of thinking about the city and its relevance for the profession of social work. It provides a colourful illustration of practice drawing on examples of social work responses to a range of issues emerging from the unprecedented scale, density and pace of change in cities. The associated challenges posed for social work include: the increased segregation of the poor, the crisis of affordable housing, homelessness, gentrification, ageing, displacement as a result of migrations, and the breakdown of social support and care.
Drawing on multiple disciplines, this groundbreaking work shows that these familiar features of the twenty-first century can be counteracted by the positive aspects of the city: its innovation, creativity and serendipity. It has a redistributive, caring and cohesive potential. The city can provide new opportunities and resources for social work to influence, to collaborate, to foster participation and involvement, and to extend its social justice mandate. The book shows that the city represents a critical arena in terms of the future of social work intervention and social work identity. In doing so, it will be of great interest to students and scholars of social work, social policy, community work and urban studies.

Charlotte Williams OBE is Professor and Deputy Dean of Social Work at RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. She is a qualified social worker and has practiced in rural and urban contexts. She has extensively theorised issues of place, locality and nationhood as they affect social welfare practice, particularly in relation to the exclusion of minoritised ethnic groups.