Helps practitioners and carers in social welfare services make the links between the law and their work. This work explains how law can be used as an instrument of empowerment and helps readers develop their competence in the knowledge, values and skills of using the law in relation to practice through a series of case studies and exercises.

This book is designed for practitioners and carers in social welfare services to help them make the links between the law and their work. It considers the ways in which the law can be used as an instrument of empowerment and provides readers with the opportunity to develop their competence in the knowledge, values and skills of using the law in relation to practice through a series of case studies and exercises. By weaving the threads of anti-oppressive practice and the principles which inform legislation used in the delivery of services in the social care field, the book points the way to a new practice that is empowering to service users and ultimately liberating for practitioners. It is a book which is accessible to informal carers, students and professional workers. The authors draw heavily on their personal and work experiences to understand the issues of power and oppression and how the law can be used to inform the development of anti-oppressive practice.

IntroductionPart One: Unpacking conceptsTowards a Theory of AntiOppressive PracticeUsing LegislationA Liberal or Radical ApproachPart Two: A Model of AntiOppressive PracticePractice: Principles for ActionValuesEmpowermentPartnershipMinimal InterventionImplications for PracticePart Three: Reframing Practice in Relation to LegislationPreventive WorkAssessmentPlanningWorking With or For UsersEvaluationThe Reality of AntiOppressive Practice.