This essential guide to commissioning and purchasing in social care provides case studies, guidelines, and checklists to help readers to assess need, develop care plans and select suppliers of care. It clearly explains:

• the reasons for the shift to commissioning and purchasing away from direct provision
• the distinction between commissioning and purchasing
• how to ensure that the commissioning and purchasing process fully reflects the views of users and carers
• contracts and tenders
• costs and prices in relation to providing quality care
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In this book, Terry Bamford challenges social work students and professionals to understand why social work has failed to maintain its position as a driver of social reform. Drawing lessons from the recent history of social work to identify how and why it has lost influence, Bamford looks forward to a new model of practice that places a commitment to social justice at the heart of the profession. The book also contributes to topical debates about social work education and the identity of the profession, encouraging critical thinking about organization models, practice content, and the meaning...