Contemporary Social Problems in the UK

Social problems are endemic to all societies. The UK is no exception and is grappling with a plethora of issues including poverty, family breakdown, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, child abuse and neglect, youth offending, alcohol and drug misuse, mental health issues, homelessness, and ethnic and religious discrimination. These problems have huge implications for the individual, the family unit and society at large and take their toll on health, wellbeing, and community resources. They place an enormous amount of strain on government finances and the welfare state, and add to the burden on social institutions, such as the National Health Service and the social work and criminal justice systems.

Contemporary Social Problems in the UK explores a wide range of social problems in the UK. Each social problem has been explored using a range of psychosocial theories to generate an understanding of various causal factors and to examine the linkages between different social problems. Government policy and legislation, remedial measures, preventive approaches, and strategies of intervention are also considered for each social problem that has been dealt with. Each chapter deals with a particular social problem and has been penned by an expert in that topic. The endeavour has been to provide a multi-dimensional overview of the social problem in a manner that is engaging and easy to read. The end-of-chapter content includes supplementary reading, useful topic related websites besides a quiz and individual / group activities to generate discussion and stimulate learning.

This informative yet accessible textbook will be an invaluable resource for instructors and students in the social sciences as well as professionals who work with people who experience some of these problems.

Selwyn Stanley is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Edge Hill University, UK. He has published extensively in the areas of mental health, alcohol misuse, informal caregiving in chronic illness and family life dynamics. He is the editor of Social Problems in India: Perspectives for Intervention (Allied Publishers, 2004) and Social Work Education in Countries of the East: Issues & Challenges (Nova Science, 2011). His research orientation is in quantitative methods and areas of research interest include stress, resilience, coping, wellbeing, and quality of life issues in different populations. His recent publications have explored occupational stress and its correlates in social work practitioners and students in India. He is currently involved in studies that look at family caregiving issues for people with cancer and children with learning disabilities.