Publisher's Synopsis
Report writing is a key skill for social work and one in which many practitioners receive little formal training or preparation. Fully revised and updated, the new edition of this handy pocketbook for social workers provides key advice for busy practitioners to help them to write clear, professional and well-structured reports. This includes practical advice, hints and tips to improve your report writing and ensure you adhere to best practice in your written communications.
Social workers will find this guide invaluable for creating high-quality reports for a range of common situations. This useful book includes:
A range of report templates for a variety of situations, practice contexts and service user groups
Examples of good practice in report writing and common pitfalls to avoid
Examples of legal policy and assessment situations
Checklists of content and style requirements for various report types.
Written by an experienced practitioner, this practical guide is not only suitable for newly-qualified social workers but also their more experienced colleagues that would like to develop and hone their writing skills. Students of social work will also find this an essential resource for their practice education and beyond.
"Report writing is one of the basic skills all social workers need, are expected to have, yet are rarely taught. Daisy's excellent second edition goes a long way towards remedying this. Starting with the same good quality advice as the first edition, this version goes further by applying those good practice principles to a range of specialist report topics. Tribunal reports, Care Act reports and Childcare reports are all here. This is quite simply an essential buy for any social workers in front line practice."
Claire Barcham, EDT Team Leader, AMHP, Author & Social Worker, UK
"This book, in my opinion, is a must for experienced and newly qualified social workers alike. The author offers a solid platform for social workers to work from by offering initial theory before identifying professional responsibility, distinguishing fact from opinion, aiding the reader to construct the purpose and goal of the report before confidently leading to an evidenced based conclusion.
The book is filled with practical hints, tips and best practice points. It advises on potential pitfalls, offers a wide range of templates to ensure key areas are covered and goes as far as directing the reader on grammar and even spell-checking! The book is a practical and valuable resource."
Martin Gilbert, Learning & Development Lead in Mental Health, Birmingham City Council, UK
"Report writing is a clear and very well presented book - easy to dip in and out of whether you are looking for guidance, examples or a law reference. The book is equally relevant for those working in adults or children's services - there are specific examples to follow and there are also generic pointers and background information applicable to a range of social care settings.
The layout which incorporates boxed checklists is very user friendly. A particular favourite of mine was the explanation around active and passive voices - providing not only guidelines about what to write but also how to write the report.
The book is ideal for those in training but also perfect as a tool to be used for ongoing reference."
Dorothy Yeates, Newly Qualified Social Worker, Milton Keynes Council, UK
"This book recommends itself to busy social workers, students and managers. Its clear content is relevant and presented in an accessible manner, allowing natural learning through prompts, reflection and use of 'good practice' points.
This is not just another textbook. It is a tool which you will want to keep at hand on your desk to help you avoid 'common pitfalls, increase your confidence, and achieve excellent outcomes for your clients."
Claudia M. Manta, Independent Social Worker, UK
