Introduction
Social exclusion and social work
Social work and social exclusion
The nature of social work
Knowledge and values, postmodernism and social work
Need
Authority and choice
Empowerment
Maintenance, social functioning and coping
Interpretivism, reflection and social work as art
Social work, science and technical instrumentalism
Judgement and decision making : practical reasoning, process knowledge and critical thinking
Social work intervention and human nature
Conclusion : the discipline of social work.