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Book recommendations for Social Work degree

I know all Uni courses will do things slightly differently but is there any books anyone can recommend that helped them with their SW degree? I want to do some pre-reading before Sept but don't want to buy something that will be a waste of time.

TIA
Original post by JessA1988
I know all Uni courses will do things slightly differently but is there any books anyone can recommend that helped them with their SW degree? I want to do some pre-reading before Sept but don't want to buy something that will be a waste of time.
TIA

Hey,

It is great that you want to do some pre-reading before you start to be prepared.

However, do remember that it is not an requirement to do pre-reading and having to buy loads of books before you start. This is normally the case at many universities. This is because when you start university you will have access to a library where you can loan books for free and have access to online resources.

A good tip you can do before you start is to research any podcasts that you can listen to. Podcasts can be very useful and informative.

Hopefully a social worker or social work student can provide you with suggestions of books if you want to do some pre-reading.

I hope this helps and good luck starting your course in September! :thumbsup:
My most used books during my degree were:

Theory and Practice (3rd edt) by Siobhan Maclean
Social Work Skills by Pamela Trevithick

Two go-to books that always had something in them!!

I also wish I had come across these placement/supervision planners while I was at uni - when it came to completing my placement portfolio/placement learning documentation, I had everything scattered everywhere, including supervision notes, so it was a nightmare at the end and very stressful trying to ensure I'd covered everything and had correct dates, supervision notes with times etc signed off...

Social Work Student Placement & Supervision Log Book - 70 Day Placement: Comprehensive planner to help with completion of Practice Learning Documentation : Parks, Sarah: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Social Work Student Placement & Supervision Log - 100 Day Placement: Comprehensive planner to help with completion of Planning Learning Documentation : Parks, Sarah: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Good luck with your future studies - I loved studying for my degree!
(edited 3 months ago)
Reply 3
Original post by PrittyVacant
My most used books during my degree were:
Theory and Practice (3rd edt) by Siobhan Maclean
Social Work Skills by Pamela Trevithick
Two go-to books that always had something in them!!
I also wish I had come across this placement/supervision planner while I was at uni - when it came to completing my placement portfolio/placement learning documentation, I had everything scattered everywhere, including supervision notes, so it was a nightmare at the end and very stressful trying to ensure I'd covered everything and had correct dates, supervision notes with times etc signed off...
Social Work Student Placement & Supervision Log Book - 70 Day Placement: Comprehensive planner to help with completion of Practice Learning Documentation : Parks, Sarah: Amazon.co.uk
Good luck with your future studies - I loved studying for my degree!

That's great, thank you so much!
I am a social work postgraduate going into my second year.

As people have mentioned, you won't be expected to read in advance of the course now as you have a place successfully. However, you may find information on the BASW website useful to read in advance, especially when thinking of contemporary issues in the UK.

Book wise, I would pick something generic which will cover a large breadth of theory that you can then research further in more specific books

Modern Social Work Theory by Malcom Payne is good for theory
For Law and legislation (you will definitely do a module on this) Social Work Law by Alison Brammer is great. I've used it across multiple modules
How to be a Social Worker: A Critical Guide for Students is a very easy read which combines theory with skills
For placement advice, Surviving your Social Work Placement by Karen Jones is a must. I believe you wouldn't need this until second year of an undergraduate.

Additionally, when you do anything about attachment theory, Howe's work is very succinct and in an accessible structure.

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