First published in 1997, this volume constitutes a critical analysis of the contradictory portrayal of social workers, exploring how social workers make their work visible and justifiable through their talk and writing along with the language, explanation and analysis they use to explain their actions and assessments.

1. An Alternative Approach to Social Work: Accounts, Texts and Narrative. 2. Narrative as Performance. 3. Social Work Texts as Stories with Readers. 4. Handling Blame and Constructing Moral Character. 5. Explaining the 'Facts' and Claiming Entitlement. 6. Retellings: Following the Social Work Story. 7. Reported Speech: Hearing the Words of the Client. 8. Depicting Character: Reading Adequate Representations of the Client.