A critical characteristic of human service organizations is their capacity to learn from experience and to adapt continuously to changing external conditions such as downward pressure on resources, constant reconfiguration of the welfare state and rapidly changing patterns of social need. This invaluable, groundbreaking volume discusses in detail the concept of the learning organization, in particular its relevance to social work and social services. Contributors join together from across Europe, North America and Australia to explore the development of the learning organization within social work contexts and its use as a strategic tool for meeting problems of continuous learning, supervision and change. The volume addresses a range of important topics, from strategies for embedding learning and critical reflection in the social work learning organization, to the implications of the learning organization for the new community-based health and social care agenda.

Nick Gould is Professor of Social Work at the University of Bath, and a fellow of the National Institute for Mental Health in England and Social Care Institute for Excellence. A qualified social worker, he has researched and published widely in the fields of reflective learning, technology and social work, and research methodology. Mark Baldwin is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Bath. He practised as a social worker, and worked as a first line manager for a number of years before working for the University. His recent research and writing has been mainly concerned with critical reflection and the use of discretion by front line staff in health and social welfare organizations.