Social Work with Volunteers

The first book to specifically address the relationship between social work and volunteers, Social Work with Volunteers examines the current shift in social welfare services and the growing need to develop effective partnerships with volunteers. As the primary profession in the development, provision, and evaluation of social services, social workers are in a position to shape how agency administrators, direct staff, and volunteers work together to provide services. Using the groundbreaking Context-Specific Optimal Partnership (CSOP) model, the author demonstrates how social workers in all areas of practice can work with volunteers to create a positive change. Social Work with Volunteers is organized around three basic themes: volunteerism as a complex behavioral and social phenomenon, the historical relationship between social work and volunteers, and the development and application of the CSOP model.