This social welfare policy text, written specifically for use within the field of social work, shows readers the crucial connection between social policy and the everyday practice of social work. The Third Edition of The Policy-Based Profession provides readers with a process for analyzing policies that will help them as they enter a career in social work. It offers a detailed foundation for policy analysis, including chapters on historical policy analysis, social/economic analysis, and political analysis. This text brings readers up-to-date on the latest developments in welfare reform, managed care, the campaign to restructure Social Security, program and policy responses to the problems of substance abuse and the use of family preservation as an approach to child protection.