In the early 1980s in Britain the organisation of the personal social services had come under increasingly critical scrutiny. The establishment of large social services departments following re-organisation in the early 1970s had led, some argued, to the emergence of services which all too often were over-centralised, fragmented and crisis-oriented in their approach. In attempts to break out of this reactive system and to fashion services which were more coherent and preventive, a growing number of field teams within the departments had begun to adopt community-oriented patterns of organisation. Originally published in 1984, this book based on an eighteen-month study of the area team at Normanton (Wakefield MDC), which incorporated social workers, ancillaries, and domiciliary staff in neighbourhood sub-teams, offered the first systematic account of the operation of this new approach. The authors examine how referrals and long-term work are handled, describe the management of the team, and consider the views of workers, users and the staff of other agencies. While giving a clear picture of the difficulties faced in adopting a community-centred approach the book provides convincing evidence of its potential to create more responsive and effective services based on better knowledge of the population served, easier access to the team, broader staff roles, and the active encouragement of local community initiatives. The most comprehensive account of an area team so far published, this book would be essential reading for all those concerned to improve the performance of the personal social services at the time. It would be of particular importance to councillors, managers and planners, to social workers and other field staff in social services departments, and to teachers and students of social work.

Voluntary work is sometimes praised, sometimes criticised, but was seldom the subject of objective evaluation. Given the importance of the voluntary sector in the social services at the time, the lack of systematic research into its performance was cause for concern. Originally published in 1975, the particular value of this study was twofold: first it provided a detailed and vivid picture of the work of one section of the volunteer movement – young volunteers working with the elderly; second it examined the wider issue of how voluntary work can be evaluated. The particular volunteers studied were organised through Task Force, a London based agency, but both the substantive and research issues discussed had a far wider relevance. A key part of the study explored over a period of twelve months, the development of relationships between a group of old people and the volunteers allocated to them. The authors established a new method of assessing success in these relationships. They then explored possible reasons for the successes and failures in the relationships they studied. They suggest possible changes in the organisation of the work which might help to increase the success rate of volunteer agencies. The book will be of interest to anyone concerned about the place of voluntary work in our society. At the time it would have been of special importance to staff and members of organisations involved in voluntary social service, to social workers and social administrators, and to those who were training to join their ranks. The book is based on an eighteen-month field study of Task Force; Roger Hadley and Adrian Webb directed the research and Christine Farrell was the research officer for the project.

In the early 1980s in Britain the organisation of the personal social services had come under increasingly critical scrutiny. The establishment of large social services departments following re-organisation in the early 1970s had led, some argued, to the emergence of services which all too often were over-centralised, fragmented and crisis-oriented in their approach. In attempts to break out of this reactive system and to fashion services which were more coherent and preventive, a growing number of field teams within the departments had begun to adopt community-oriented patterns of organisation. Originally published in 1984, this book based on an eighteen-month study of the area team at Normanton (Wakefield MDC), which incorporated social workers, ancillaries, and domiciliary staff in neighbourhood sub-teams, offered the first systematic account of the operation of this new approach. The authors examine how referrals and long-term work are handled, describe the management of the team, and consider the views of workers, users and the staff of other agencies. While giving a clear picture of the difficulties faced in adopting a community-centred approach the book provides convincing evidence of its potential to create more responsive and effective services based on better knowledge of the population served, easier access to the team, broader staff roles, and the active encouragement of local community initiatives. The most comprehensive account of an area team so far published, this book would be essential reading for all those concerned to improve the performance of the personal social services at the time. It would be of particular importance to councillors, managers and planners, to social workers and other field staff in social services departments, and to teachers and students of social work.

Voluntary work is sometimes praised, sometimes criticised, but was seldom the subject of objective evaluation. Given the importance of the voluntary sector in the social services at the time, the lack of systematic research into its performance was cause for concern. Originally published in 1975, the particular value of this study was twofold: first it provided a detailed and vivid picture of the work of one section of the volunteer movement - young volunteers working with the elderly; second it examined the wider issue of how voluntary work can be evaluated. The particular volunteers studied were organised through Task Force, a London based agency, but both the substantive and research issues discussed had a far wider relevance. A key part of the study explored over a period of twelve months, the development of relationships between a group of old people and the volunteers allocated to them. The authors established a new method of assessing success in these relationships. They then explored possible reasons for the successes and failures in the relationships they studied. They suggest possible changes in the organisation of the work which might help to increase the success rate of volunteer agencies. The book will be of interest to anyone concerned about the place of voluntary work in our society. At the time it would have been of special importance to staff and members of organisations involved in voluntary social service, to social workers and social administrators, and to those who were training to join their ranks. The book is based on an eighteen-month field study of Task Force; Roger Hadley and Adrian Webb directed the research and Christine Farrell was the research officer for the project.

Originally published in 1981 Social Welfare and the Failure of the State looks at how the 1980s have ushered in an intensification on the debate of the role of the state in social welfare. The book highlights the trends towards centralisation in modern Britain and then provides a critical argument on to new ground. It highlights the trends towards centralisation in modern Britain and then provides a critical analysis of the growth of the social services in the 1960s and 1970s. But its target is the way these services were provided, not the amount of money spent on them. The authors argue that they have grown in the wrong direction.

Originally published in 1981 Social Welfare and the Failure of the State looks at how the 1980s have ushered in an intensification on the debate of the role of the state in social welfare. The book highlights the trends towards centralisation in modern Britain and then provides a critical argument on to new ground. It highlights the trends towards centralisation in modern Britain and then provides a critical analysis of the growth of the social services in the 1960s and 1970s. But its target is the way these services were provided, not the amount of money spent on them. The authors argue that they have grown in the wrong direction.

This text-book examines the policy and organizational context for community care, and consists of interviews and case studies, showing how community care is (or is not) working within the areas of care for the elderly, learning disabilities, mental health and physical disabilities.