The 1996 Community Care (Direct Payments) Act came into force in 1 April 1997, empowering social services departments to make cash payments to some service users in lieu of direct service provision. Social work and direct payments guides readers through the issues at stake in this fundamental area of practice.The book summarises and builds on current knowledge and research about direct payments in the UK and considers developments in other European countries. It identifies good practice in the area and explores the implications of direct payments, both for service users and for social work...

Drawing on key research, government policies and real-life case studies, the book assists health and social care professionals to work more effectively together in order to improve services for users and carers.The health and social care divide: explains why partnerships are important and what helps/hinders partnership working;reviews the legal and policy framework, providing a chronological overview and placing current initiatives in their historical and social policy context;summarises existing research findings with regard to key health and social care policy debates;uses case studies to...