Empowerment is a term used by everyone from politicians to advertisers in radically different ways. In this compelling book, editors Wes Shera and Lilian Wells draw together the best ideas about empowerment and its future in social work. Recently, the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto hosted an international think-tank of leading scholars to address the issue of empowerment practice. This book is a living record of the major issues discussed at the conference and a must-read for those wishing to explore the best that has been thought and written about empowerment practice. The book addresses four major questions:

What major theoretical approaches are employed as frameworks for empowerment practice?

How is empowerment operationalized in different fields and with different populations?

What are some of the critical issues encountered in implementing empowerment practice?

What is the future of empowerment practice and what are the implications for social work education?