Reconceptualising Work with 'Carers'

Reviews / Votes

This book provides a valuable and though-provoking assessment of the needs and role of the carer. It will be of great value to practitioners in the field who want to acquaint themselves with current research themes. -- British Journal of Social Work This is a welcome addition to the developing literature on informal family care. It is up to date on many of the main issues concerning carers, and it offers some new insights or ways of thinking about current debates and policy concerns. -- Community Care This is a sound review of legislative developments, identifying a number of predictable points of conflict that result from the problems of defining a carer and the neglect of the care relationship... The book features two important developments in the strange history of 'the carer'. The first is the research-based policy debate that has continued to flourish in the UK during the 1990's, and second is the growing power of carers' organisations. It is good that research has moved on from the rather fruitless questions of who carers are and what they do, but both developments have combined to promote `the carer perspective', arguably at the expense of the care relationship and, more broadly, the resourcing and support of the care system. -- Social Policy The publication deals with many matters of interest and concern to social care staff who work with carers. The academic contributors, through nine chapters, explain and explore the changing policies and practices that have occurred over the last decade, and take a fresh look at the social and legal status of carers. Subjects covered include diversity among carers, assessment of carers' needs, support versus empowerment, carers' participation, employment, and getting to grips with poor care. -- Care and Health Magazine A timely reminder of the complexity and range of the challenges faced by policy makers, practitioners and carers. This is a readily accessible and essential read for practitioners and policy makers alike. In my current job role in performance and planning I was immediately drawn to those articles that explicitly addressed policy and good practice guides. However the case studies presented thought the book helped to widen my understanding of the complex contextual background in which policy is implemented. -- Elizabeth Elwick, Bournemouth Social Services