Social Work with Children

First published in 1972, Social Work with Children presents a detailed examination of children and their needs in our society. The author moves from an initial discussion of the pleasures and pressures inherent in parenthood, towards considering how children may be helped in their social development. She distinguishes between situations in which children may benefit from direct casework help and those in which aid may be more appropriately offered by parents or ‘caretakers’ and shows how such treatment can be carried out. She deals with special circumstances in relation to adoption, fostering, residential care, neglect and ill-treatment, and considers the position of the handicapped, immigrant, or delinquent child. In a final chapter she discusses methods of social work other than casework, including group work, community work, and social action. Juliet Berry makes frequent use of case illustrations, and throughout the book she provides an extensive guide to further reading.