ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the approach developed by female staff in response to the realities of working with women, and the ways in which the approach is translated into practice. The approach developed by staff has been outlined in its abstract form. Referring to four case studies, will explore some of the ways in which the approach is put into practice around three key issues: substance use, violence within relationships and offending behaviour. The case studies reflect some of the sample's diverse experiences. Drawing upon different feminist traditions (liberal, radical and postmodern) and different social work perspectives (both traditional and radical), a feminist critique of social work practice has developed. Work by feminists such as Buckley and Wilson, Dominelli and McLeod, Hanmer and Statham, Langan and Day and Wright and Kemshall has delineated a number of crucial aspects of a woman-centred approach.
