The new patterns and policies for community care which have been phased in since April 1991 present both a stimulus and a challenge to the development of social policy and social work provision. This book is a collection of essays which provide an introduction to many of the complex issues facing social workers when planning and implementing these initiatives. The first half of the book focuses on the theory of community care, the expectations of both service providers and consumers and the philosophy behind the provision of care in the community. The second half examines the implementation, including details on the planning, managing, packaging and monitoring community care. The contributors discuss the relationship between the statutory bodies and the voluntary services and examine their changing roles in relation to the provision of community care.