Russell House Publishing Ltd

The carefully selected chapters in this book offer systematic and evidence-based approaches with all such clients in all relevant circumstances. They are 'no-nonsense' approaches that will fit with practice wisdom and practice realities. They consider work with clients who :

• actively seek help in solving problems and in achieving personal goals
  
• only accept services when legally mandated or institutionalized
  
• show varying degrees of motivation at different times, toward different services or within their family or group
  

Reflecting the importance of inter-agency approaches in policy, practice and training, the book draws from several different professional groups and disciplines, and will be of value to each of them. For staff in the social and criminal fields, psychologists, counsellors, as well as managers, trainers, researchers, policy-makers an students, it devotes special attention to:

• strategies for making and maintaining working relationships to achieve practice objectives with clients in the new, broad and developing contexts of safeguarding children
  
• the theoretical evidence-base, emerging research and developing practice wisdom
  
• concepts of consent and coercion, and framework for understanding and working motivation, resistance and change
  
• engagement of children, young people, men/fathers as well as women/mothers in the intervention process
  
• links between risk assessment - including risks to staff - and work with involuntary clients
  
• innovative ways of enhancing their clients motivation and helping them to change, not only in how they respond to services, but also in what they had been doing that caused services to need to be delivered or offered
  

This book can:

• help anyone in training to enter the workplace with a sense that they can succeed, no only when assistance is sought, but also when others choose not to engage
  
• rekindle confidence and enthusiasm amongst those who have already experienced trying to address entrenched resistance without adequate help or guidance