The Social Work Experience: An Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare helps students to understand how social workers use their professional expertise to help people solve a wide variety of problems and improve their lives.  It not only introduces the profession of social work and its fields of practice, but also provides students with a clear understanding of social welfare policy, its history and contemporary issues.

The fifth edition contains three major parts:

The first part, Social Work and its Context, introduces professional social work, discusses theoretical perspectives for generalist practice, and guides students in their understanding of poverty and populations-at-risk.   

The second part, Professional Practice Settings, offers an in-depth discussion of eight fields of practice: family and children’s services, mental health, health care, schools, substance abuse, older adult services, criminal justice, and developmental disabilities.  

The third and final part of the text, A Look to the Future, views the future of the profession through the eyes of futurists and highlights the challenges and opportunities that await social workers.