Leaders at Last: The Changing Rôle of Social Services

Abstract

Chapter 3 looked at Sir Roy Griffiths’ recommendation that social services authorities should be given the lead agency rôle for community care and how this proposal was eventually accepted with reluctance by central government. Chapter 4 outlined the limited progress that has so far been made in involving user and carer groups in community care planning. This chapter considers the story of reform implementation by social services and tackles a number of central questions. Have social services been willing and able to stimulate a mixed economy of social care provision? Are social services developing internal purchaser—provider splits? Are systems of care management evolving which are driven by needs rather than the availability of a limited number of traditional services?