Publisher's Synopsis
This revised and updated edition of The W Word is relevant reading for social work students and practitioners who work with children seeking to understand witchcraft branding as a contemporary form of child abuse. Witchcraft accusations against children are occurring ever more frequently in the UK yet continue to be underestimated by social work professionals. This book serves as an invaluable resource, detailing the frequent witchcraft accusations and child abuse within minority communities in the UK. This second edition emphasises the persistence of witchcraft labelling and highlights new ways of theorising which have emerged, such as contextual safeguarding. Reflective questions, practice dilemmas and relevant links to contemporary policy are provided throughout the book with commentary and reference to updated legislation and professional standards in social work. Written in an accessible style, it gives a unique and honest insider's perspective of this form of cruelty and abuse suffered by children, with contemporary research and serious case reviews featured in each chapter. New content includes additional Islamic perspectives, culturally sensitive contextual safeguarding, trauma-informed approaches, and BLM/decolonising anti-racist practice. Overall, this is a must-read for social work professionals.
