Volume One: Welfare Theory and Approaches provides an overview of the development of welfare policy as a backdrop to the evolution of social work.

Volume Two: International Social Work Practice explores the development of contemporary social work practice approaches and examines social work′s psychosocial foundations in the psychodynamic and functional schools.

Volume Three: Social Work Research chronicles the debate on what counts as evidence on which to base social work practice and, therefore, on what kind of research methods best provide valid and reliable evidence.

Volume Four: Future Challenges overviews the enduring and contemporary issues and debates surrounding social development and global social work, generalist versus specialist practice, choice, service user participation, partnerships and social networks where we have seen a move from recipients to citizens to clients to consumers.