Community work is a unique and important activity that has the potential to help individuals, groups and communities achieve change. This brand new update of an established and acclaimed text explores and analyses different theoretical approaches to community work. Written in a highly accessible style, this book is grounded in practice issues and tackles political and theoretical issues head-on. New to the second edition: — Consideration of Coalition government policies, for example, the ‘Big Society’ project and the impact of budget cuts — Analysis of the work of New Labour — A new international dimension throughout the text, and an important new chapter on international community work — New definitions of “community” explored to take into account a diverse population — Increased emphasis on community work values, skills and challenges — Updated pedagogy, including end of chapter summaries and reflective questions — References to the latest writing in the field Written by an established international expert, this book will be valuable for students on qualifying programmes, practitioners, policy makers and commentators, and those engaged in community work in all capacities.