This social welfare policy text, written specifically for social work, shows students the crucial connection between social policy and the everyday practice of social work.

The text provides students with a process for analyzing policies that will help them as they enter the profession. It offers a detailed foundation for policy analysis, including chapters on historical policy analysis, social/economic analysis, and political analysis.

The text includes chapters on social policy as it affects most of the major areas of social work practice: poverty, aging, mental health, and child welfare. This edition brings students up-to-date on the latest developments in welfare reform, managed care, the campaign to restructure Social Security, and the use of family preservation as an approach to child protection.