Just Practice

A Social Justice Approach to Social Work

Fourth Edition

Janet L. Finn

Unique framework builds upon five key concepts - meaning, context, power, history, and possibility - to provide students a cohesive schema for connecting social work to social justice
Seven core processes - engagement, teaching/learning, action, accompaniment, evaluation, reflection, and celebration - expand upon the traditional assessment-intervention-evaluation model of practice by re-conceptualizing social work's approach to planned change
Critical reflection on social work history provides readers a rich understanding of the promise and problems in social work history and of the contributions of Black, American Indian, and other people of color to social work
Reflection moments and learning activities encourage critical thinking and engage students in the application of key concepts
Accompanied by a robust set of instructor resources

New to this Edition:

New chapter, "Critical Reflection," pays particular attention to the embeddedness of racism in the U.S. and prepares readers to engage in critical self-reflection.
An expanded discussion of ways in which white privilege clouded the perspectives of early reformers and of the contributions of African Americans, American Indians, and other people of color deepens students' understanding of social work history.
New content on psychodynamic theory, neuroscience, and trauma, with an expanded discussion of historical trauma and tribal critical theory, expands the book's range of social theories.
Listening and communication skills for acknowledgement of and engagement with racial trauma, counter narratives, and narratives of resistance speak to prevalent and ongoing issues in today's world.

Just Practice

A Social Justice Approach to Social Work

Fourth Edition

Janet L. Finn

Description

Just Practice: A Social Justice Approach to Social Work provides a foundation for critical and creative social work that integrates theory, history, ethics, skills, and rights to respond to the complex terrain of 21st century social work. Just Practice puts the field of social work's expressed commitment to social justice at center stage with a framework that builds upon five key concepts: meaning, context, power, history, and possibility. How do we give meaning to the experiences and conditions that shape our lives? What are the contexts in which those experiences and conditions occur? How do structures and relations of power shape people's lives and the practice of social work? How might a historical perspective help us to grasp the ways in which struggles over meaning and power have played out and to better appreciate the human consequences of those struggles? Taken together, these concepts provide a guide for integrative social work that bridges direct practice and community building.

The text prepares readers with the theoretical knowledge and practice skills to address the complex challenges of contemporary social work from direct practice with individuals and families, to group work, organizational and community change, and policy analysis and advocacy. Each chapter includes learning activities, reflection moments, practice examples, and the stories and voices of practitioners and service users to engage students as critical thinkers and practitioners. The author encourages teachers and students alike to take risks, move from safe, familiar, pedagogical spaces and practices, challenge assumptions, and embrace uncertainty.

Just Practice

A Social Justice Approach to Social Work

Fourth Edition

Janet L. Finn

1. Imagining Social Work and Social Justice
Overview
Meaning of Social Work
Meanings of Social Justice
Linking Social Work and Social Justice
Justice Practice Framework: Meaning, Context, Power, History, and Possibility
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

2. Critical Reflection: A Starting Place for Understanding Difference, Oppression, and Privilege
Overview
The Daunting Realities of Injustice
Meanings of Critical Reflection
Skills and Practices of Critical Reflection
Difference, Oppression, and Privilege
White Privilege, Racism, and White Supremacy
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

3. Looking Back
Overview
Claiming a Historical Perspective for Social Work
The Roots of Social Work
The Emergence of Social Work
Social Work in the Twentieth Century: Snapshots of History
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

4. Values, Ethics, and Visions
Overview
What Do We Mean by Values?
Values in Context
The Practice of Valuing
Valuing and Social Justice Work
The Concept of Ethics
Ethical Theories
Values, Ethics, and Social Work
Social Work Ethics in the Twenty-first Century
Frameworks for Ethical Decision Making in Social Work Practice
Expanding the Possibilities for Ethical Decision Making
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

5. Just Thinking: Theoretical Perspectives on Social-Justice-Oriented Practice
Overview
What Is Theory?
Theory and Contemporary Social Work
Expanding the Theoretical Possibilities
Just Practice Framework: An Integrated Approach
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

6. Just Get Started: Engagement
Overview
The Meaning of Engagement
The Context of Engagement
Skills and Practice of Engagement
Challenges of Engagement: Power, Difference, and Resistance
Expanding the Possibilities: Engaging Groups
Popular Education
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

7. Teaching-Learning: Reframing the Assessment Process
Overview
Problematizing Assessment
Shifting Our Approach: From Assessment to Teaching-Learning
Power and the Teaching-Learning Process
Teaching-Learning and Human Rights
The Skills and Practice of Teaching-Learning
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

8. Action and Accompaniment
Overview
Concept and Process of Action
Concept and Process of Accompaniment
Action and Accompaniment in Context
Rethinking Social Work Roles
Skills and Practice of Action and Accompaniment
Expanding the Possibilities
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings

9. Evaluating, Reflecting On, and Celebrating Our Efforts
Overview
Evaluation
Participatory Approaches to Evaluation
Participatory Evaluation in Action
Resources and Possibilities
Celebration
Coming Full Circle: Summarizing Principles of Social Justice Work
Summary
Questions for Discussion
Suggested Readings
Epilogue: Just Futures

Just Practice

A Social Justice Approach to Social Work

Fourth Edition

Janet L. Finn

Author Information

Janet L. Finn, MSW, PhD, is Professor of Social Work at the University of Montana-Missoula. She is the author, editor, or co-editor of numerous books and articles about social justice, community, women, and youth and childhood issues including Gender Oppression and Globalization: Challenges for Social Work (2013), Mining Childhood: Growing Up in Butte Montana, 1900-1960 (2012), and Childhood, Youth and Social Work in Transformation (2009).

Just Practice

A Social Justice Approach to Social Work

Fourth Edition

Janet L. Finn

Reviews and Awards

"I have taught introductory courses on social work practice for 30 years and continue to think of Just Practice as the finest text I have ever used. It is full, deep, and rich. The author introduces an integrative framework that joins conceptions of social justice and the core activities of everyday practice, challenging instructors and students to negotiate the irreducible ambiguities and complexities of help and care. I so appreciate the clarity of mind, the moral energy, and the pragmatic sensibility that shapes her accounts of the history of the profession and the range of concerns we have come to encompass in the field." -- William Borden, University of Chicago

"The emphasis on the Just Practice concepts provides exceptional opportunities for students to reflect on their life experiences and often find 'possibility' when it seems improbable." -- Paula M. Sheridan, Whittier College

"Just Practice pushes beyond the mainstream (white) conceptualization of social work in the US and abroad and works to expand practicing definitions of social justice into new frameworks and models that disavow the medical model and patronizing practices. It doesn't just present content and knowledge but encourages the reader to critically think about the implications for their own personal and professional development by using a series of reflections, activities and the posing of excellent questions. I can honestly say for the first time in years I am actually excited about a textbook not just because it speaks to me and us about the way we define social justice work but also because I learned more than a few things in reading this that has already strengthened my perspective." -- Donna McIntosh, Sienna College

"Finn's text is an exceptional choice for advanced BSW and foundation MSW students. The book's format grounds the student in the meaning of social work history and its social justice mission. Throughout the text, Finn invites readers to engage in a process of personal and professional exploration that potentially fuels the students' desire to return to the roots of social work to inform their practice. Students won't just read this textbook — they will experience it." -- Ann Trettin, University of Chicago