Welcome to Human Services: A Student Centered Approach.  This is the second edition of this e-textbook for human services students.  After many years as a social work practitioner with children and families and many more teaching in both social work and human services in higher education, I have found that students are not interested in reading strictly about theory.  They want to know how to relate theory to practice and they are more interested in learning about real people and the challenges they face.

This book is for and about students.  As an educator over the past several decades, I have found that students learn best by active involvement in the course content. They enjoy learning about real cases, the skills that are needed when working with children and families, and the outcomes of the work done together.  This e-book is interactive and each chapter contains scenarios and pieces of some real case material that I had in my work as an early childhood specialist, a home school visitor, a social service caseworker, and a child welfare administrator. I have also included the appropriate Curriculum Standards from the Council on Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE). Reading each chapter and working through the quizzes and activities will give you the opportunity to practice the knowledge, values, and skills needed to become a Human Services professional.  The Standards are used in programs that are accredited in Human Services by CSHSE.