Short Guides

As the field of aging and gerontology grows worldwide, this exciting guide introduces students to key issues and concepts. It covers topics related to the phenomena of advancing aging, including how older age has been defined historically, cultural myths related to advanced age, health and function in later life, how older age is financed throughout the world, and other key questions. Taking a multiple-perspective approach (including humanities, social and behavioral sciences and policy studies), the book's features include further reading for each chapter, a glossary of key terms, and tables that provide easy reference points.

This fully updated edition of an essential introductory text offers a concise guide to the key structures and concepts in social policy and is now supplemented by unique and innovative digital content that adds depth and provides a truly integrated way of learning. It is accompanied by a digital app, which is free to download and use with the book, that includes short videos with commentary, interactive charts and 'unboxed' examples that expand key issues raised in the text, enabling students to engage more deeply with statistical information. The book draws on examples from around the world and focuses on explaining key terms and introducing key debates. Written by experienced authors and teachers, the text explores the five pillars of welfare; social security, employment, education, health and housing, and this new edition adds a further chapter providing an overview of other fields such as criminal justice, social care and family policy. This will be an invaluable resource for students new to social policy.

Childhood and youth have become increasingly important key concepts across a range of disciplines, professions and studies. The short guide to working with children and young people is an accessible introduction into the main concepts, developments and policy related to this exciting area of work. Divided into two parts, the opening chapters prepare readers to think about work with children and young people by providing an overview of key theoretical perspectives related to the field. The second part focuses on work with children and young people by exploring the roles of some of the key practitioners at each stage and developing an understanding of what they do. This unique book provides a clear, concise and accessible overview of the subject and allows readers to make more informed choices in their career pathway. It provides a key starting point for relevant undergraduate degree courses as well as for people considering working in this field, and a valuable reference point for existing practitioners and volunteers.

Some have argued that the rate and scale of human-induced global environmental change is so significant that it now constitutes a new geological epoch in the Earth's history called the Anthropocene (Zalasiewicz et al, 2011; Steffen et al, 2011). More than ever, there is a need to have appropriate and effective environmental policies that address the challenges of climate change, biodiversity, food, water and energy insecurity, environmental pollution, poverty alleviation and environmental equity. The short guide to environmental policy provides a concise introduction to post-war environmental policies, bringing together perspectives from a range of fields including economics, sociology, politics and social policy. It covers a broad range of issues, including causes and effects of contemporary environmental issues, policy approaches to addressing environmental problems, challenges to implementing environmental policies and future environmental challenges. This book is an essential introduction to all those interested in how policies can address environmental problems.

Interest in the topic of 'community' – and how local communities can be supported to take control of their lives, services and environment – continues to ride high on the public agenda in many parts of the world. Now in its second edition, this invaluable guide provides an introduction to community development, its origins and the different forms it takes. It has been updated to reflect developments in policy and practice, as well as recent debates about the changing nature of community development itself. Crucially, it explores how community development can be applied in different policy areas, examines trends and the challenges it faces. Accessibly written, this is essential reading for students studying a degree or taking a module in this field, as well as those already involved in community development and community organising.

As a field, health and social care is facing considerable challenge and debate, in the UK and internationally. This clear and succinct text offers a valuable introductory guide to this multidisciplinary subject, helping people who want to study or work in health and social care understand why these services matter, how they have developed and how they work. Framed by vital historical and social policy context, the book considers: The social context in which health and social care are delivered The history and nature of current services Organising, funding and delivering services How to be a professional in practice Including chapter summaries and links to further reading, this text will be invaluable to undergraduate students on programmes in Health and Social Care, Social Work, Nursing, Allied Health Professions, Social Policy and related applied social science subjects, as well as to A-level and Foundation programmes prior to University.

This accessible guide provides readers with an introduction to the key concepts and main developments in gender studies. Presenting definitions, explanations and policy implications through discussion of case studies, this book shows how gender intersects with different dimensions of diversity and demonstrates the connections between sex and gender. Using a range of pedagogical features and highlighting the importance of gender in the contemporary world, this succinct text provides an ideal overview for students and professionals alike.

With an ever increasing proportion of the world's population inhabiting urban environments, the management of cities remains a perennial challenge for governments and policymakers. This concise, but wide-ranging text makes sense of the multiple ways in which urban issues and problems have been defined and addressed in different places at different times. From initiatives that focus on social tensions within the urban realm, to those which seek to develop cities as economic entities, the book provides an accessible discussion and critique of some of the key approaches that have characterised urban policy across the globe. Providing case studies of urban policy actions, explanations of key concepts, and succinct chapter summaries, this unique introductory text is invaluable reading for both students and practitioners who are new to the area of urban policy, and who wish to understand and assess policy responses to the challenges posed by urban living and lifestyles.

International development is a vibrant, interdisciplinary area of the social sciences. This Short Guide offers a uniquely succinct and balanced account of this politically charged subject. It distils both the classic and newer debates together in a clear framework and illustrates them with contemporary examples. Designed to introduce a wide readership to international development, the book: • considers how far the field has been reconfigured over time and to what extent it is likely to change in the future; • reviews contemporary topics including tourism, migration and digital technologies; • includes distinctive international case studies and examples. By providing a succinct evaluation of competing approaches to, and perspectives on, the idea and practice of international development, this book offers students across the social sciences a distinct and invaluable introduction to the field.

The only up-to-date, accessibly written short guide to community development, this third edition offers an invaluable and authoritative introduction. Fully updated to reflect changes in policy, practice, economics and culture, it will equip readers with an understanding of the history and theory of community development, as well as practical guidance on how to do it. This is a key text for all students and practitioners working with communities. It includes: • a broad overview of core themes, concepts, basic practices and key issues in community development, • an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on community life and well-being, along with the implications for longer-term community support, • additional brand new content on the pressing issues of democratic decline, social fragmentation and isolation, social care pressures, technological developments and climate change.

The fully updated Short Guide to Town and Country Planning provides a concise introductory overview of the practice of planning for those with little or no prior knowledge. This second edition considers who planners are and what they do, showing how planning—as an art, science and system—has evolved as an organised action of the state. The book discusses the planning system, processes, legal constructs and approaches, taking into account the recent regulatory changes within the UK nations. Restructured to improve readability, it explores the interactions of government and society with the planning system, and the relationship between urban planning, the environment and placemaking. It encourages the reader to adopt a reflective and inquisitive outlook, and features: • case study boxes; • further reading and resources; • guidance on the recent policy and system updates, including those through devolution.

This engaging and accessible text offers a concise overview of social work which will appeal to anyone needing a quick introduction to social work as a discipline. It contains essential information for all prospective and new social work students, the theories and policy and practice frameworks as well as current issues facing social work today. Illustrated with many examples from practice, it covers social work with many service user groups including children and families, adults, older people, disabled people and people with mental health problems as well as specialist areas of practice.