This book offers a practical approach to maximising quality in social work that is based on developing a working culture that empowers key stakeholders in the delivery of services, whether these are managers, practitioners, service users or carers. Aiming to transcend the constraints on professionalism imposed by managerialism and the contract culture, it provides a critical appraisal of the main approaches to quality assurance and analyses these in detail in relation to child care, community care, mental health and criminal justice.

ROBERT ADAMS is Professor at the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Teesside, UK.

List of Figures
Introduction
Quality Assurance in Social Work
Approaches to Quality Assurance in Social Work
Challenging Managerialism in Assuring Social Work Quality
Quality Education for Social Workers
Maintaining Quality: Standardisation and Proceduralism in Criminal Justice Work
Rectifying Quality: Beyond an Error-driven Approach in Mental Health
Enhancing Quality 1: Professional Audit and Progressive Practice in Child Care
Enhancing Quality 2: Monitoring and Evaluating for Quality in Community Care
Maximising Quality in Social Work
Appendix
Bibliography 
Index.