Complexity Theory for Social Work Practice

This textbook provides a grounding in complexity theory, demonstrating how it can influence and shape social work interventions in policy, management, and practice, as well as forming an epistemological and methodological basis for research. It provides a contemporary theoretical basis for social work practice, equipping social workers to work in a 21st-Century world. 

The authors argue that the history of social work demonstrates the profession's engagement with the social and structural problems of each era since its emergence 150 years ago. However, in  the 21st Century, such things as globalisation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and climate change have highlighted that existing theories and practice models are insufficient to the task of working with the complicatedness of contemporary life in a fast-changing world. Distilling the central tenets of Complexity Theory and the notion of complex adaptive systems in partnership with pragmatism, the book provides practice perspectives and guidelines which build on social work's enduring commitment to understanding the person-in-context. The recognition that social workers require conceptual and theoretical agility to work across micro, meso and macro 'levels' remains central, but the argument is made that their focus and practice must primarily be at the meso level. The authorship of combined academic and practice expertise enables such perspectives to be brought to life through the theoretical and practical analysis of conceptual and 'real-world' challenges. 

The book consists of 13 chapters organized in three sections:

• Part I: Complex Practice in a Complex World
• Part II: Thinking Complexity in Practice
• Part III: Thinking Complexity in Public Policy, Research and Education

Complexity Theory for Social Work Practice encourages social workers to 'think complexity' and 'act pragmatically'. It is intended for final-year social work students; academics and researchers working in a range of disciplines, primarily in the social work field but also in the areas of sociology, psychology and anthropology; and practitioners in policy, research, management and practice settings.

Fiona McDermott, BA., Dip Soc Studs., M. Urban Planning, PhD (Melb), has taught across the curriculum in the social work departments at The University of Melbourne and Monash University, where she is adjunct Associate Professor.  From 2009 to 2018 she held a joint appointment in the social work departments of Monash University and Monash Health, her role being to establish and develop practitioner research. She was Editor of the journal Australian Social Work from 2017-2022. Her publications are in the fields of research development, health and mental health, and working with groups. Fiona has published several books, many book chapters and refereed articles. She has a particular interest in qualitative research approaches and practitioner research.

Kerry Brydon, B. Comm. BSW (Melbourne), MSW (research) (Monash), PhD (Monash), has always been a practitioner at heart. She commenced practice in statutory welfare where she remained for over two decades: as well as working as a stipendiary probation and parole officer she also worked with complex, multi-problem families in the then child welfare and later child protection fields. She had responsibilities at case work, supervisory, management and case planning levels. She then spent a decade in academia, at Monash University, teaching at both undergraduate and post graduate levels as well as co-ordinating the first Australian tertiary program to offer a qualification in an offshore setting. She also became a participant in the collaborative program with the University of Papua New Guinea striving to strengthen academic offerings from that university. More recently she has worked in the aged care sector where, once again, complexity permeates both client presentations and day-to-day interventions at all levels of service delivery.

Alex Haynes, PhD candidate (Monash); Grad Dip Business (RMIT); Grad Dip Environmental Studies (UA); BArch (UniSA), has a strong record of achievement in a wide range of organisations in the for-purpose, education and commercial sectors and in successfully leading complex and difficult projects. She has a deep understanding of the importance of place-based approaches to addressing disadvantage that she brings to her current role as CEO of an integrated place based community service in Melbourne, Australia. Alex has a longstanding commitment to effective community engagement in the development of services, policy and investment frameworks. She has expertise in research design and management in both the International development context and Australian urban and rural contexts and has worked in the areas of learning and education, community development, community services, gender, urban and community planning, environment, food security and climate variability. 

Felicity Moon, BSW (Hons), Graduate Certificate in Loss, Grief and Trauma Counselling, PhD (Monash), began her career in residential aged care as a personal care assistant while completing her undergraduate social work degree. Her honours thesis topic examined the potential role for social work in relation to residential aged care facilities in Adelaide. Following graduation, she worked as a social worker at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, and the Alfred Hospital predominantly general medicine and the emergency departments. She is currently practising as a senior social worker at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in emergency. Felicity completed her PhD exploring end-of-life care for patients with dementia in hospital, and has completed additional research focussed on hospital end-of-life care and social work practice. She has been a unit coordinator and teaching associate at Monash University, teaching across the ageing, hospital, health and mental health electives in the Masters of Social Work program.