The conception of welfare services has changed radically. The focus has shifted from a paternalistic conception of what the state and professionals can do for, or to, needy clients to a post-paternalistic conception of services that respond to and develop self-determining capacities of individual service users or consumers. This book examines the contradictions and complexities of contemporary individualized welfare services, with special reference to service user groups who are deeply dependent in ongoing ways on service delivery for their quality of life.

The conception of welfare services has changed to consider the more specialized needs of individual users or consumers. This book examines the contradictions and complexities of contemporary individualized welfare services, with special reference to service groups who are deeply dependent on service delivery for their quality of life