Managing Residential Care

The article discusses the potential benefits of residential care and the challenges it faces. It examines the economic and political factors that impact residential care, as well as the practical aspects of managing it. The role of outside organizations, such as inspection agencies and local authorities, is also explored. The article includes examples of successful management and obstacles faced by managers. It is intended for practitioners, managers, training officers, policy makers, and students in social work and social care.

Residential homes can be - and occasionally are - the very best places for people to live. There have been occasions when residential care has seemed to be on the brink of a breakthrough - when we could have converted the service into something to be universally proud of. This work analyzes what is wrong and proposes how residential care can be managed well. It covers the economic and political contexts of residential care, the practicalities of managing care, and the role of outside organizations, including inspection, local authorities, charities, private care companies and housing associations. Extended examples, throughout the text, demonstrate both how managers can succeed and how the powerful forces of mismanagement obstruct them. This work is intended for residential care practitioners and managers, training officers and policy makers, and lecturers and students on social work and social care courses.