Book review: Decision Making in Social Work

When I started as a social worker 26 years ago, my manager said, "make any decision you want in social work, then imagine it on the front page of a tabloid newspaper". Fortunately there is a much better way. Terence O'Sullivan's new edition is a valuable tool for anyone involved in making social work decisions.

May 25, 2011 in Workforce

Decision Making in Social Work (2nd edition)

Part of the BASW Practical Social Work series

★★★★★

Terence O’Sullivan

Palgrave Macmillan

ISBN 9780230223592

When I started as a social worker 26 years ago, my manager said, “make any decision you want in social work, then imagine it on the front page of a tabloid newspaper”. Fortunately there is a much better way. Terence O’Sullivan’s new edition is a valuable tool for anyone involved in making social work decisions.

Over nine chapters, O’Sullivan builds and expands on his earlier edition, developing themes including managing emotions and involving service users and carers in decisions, and adding a new chapter on using supervision.

The book is easy to read and littered with practice-based scenarios, which bring to life what could have felt like a theoretical discussion. At the end of each chapter there is a summary with the key learning, notes on putting it into practice and some recommended reading. In short, a very useful book.

Mike Lane is a social worker in Bournemouth

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