Publisher's Synopsis
*How can professionals manage the dilemma of protecting vulnerable individuals without curtailing choice and quality of life?
*How can employing agencies support professionals who take decisions that may not turn out to have the desired outcome?
Risk is a central concept in welfare services and yet our understanding of professional activities when assessing or managing risk is limited. The very word 'risk' evokes anxiety and suspicion but dealing with uncertainty is an essential element of professional practice.
This book sets the practice of health and welfare professionals within a broad context. It examines the alternative ways in which risk can be defined, the influence of risk on the development of social policy, its impact on welfare agency activities and on professional decision making.
Risk, Health and Welfare provides a unique perspective on the definition, assessment and management of risk. It explores how students learn about risk, how education providers equip future professionals to deal with risk issues in practice and whether employing agencies provide a supportive or blaming structure.
This book responds to the needs of practitioners, educationalists and managers for a text that accurately reflects the day-to-day challenges of professional practice in health and social care.
