Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures, tables and boxes
- 1 Introduction
- 2 A brief history: how we got here
- 3 Understanding social care
- 4 Learning from the past
- 5 Learning from abroad
- 6 Who cares?
- 7 A 1948 moment? The politics and process of reform
- 8 A new future for social care
- Postscript
- Notes
- References
- Index
3 - Understanding social care
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 June 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of figures, tables and boxes
- 1 Introduction
- 2 A brief history: how we got here
- 3 Understanding social care
- 4 Learning from the past
- 5 Learning from abroad
- 6 Who cares?
- 7 A 1948 moment? The politics and process of reform
- 8 A new future for social care
- Postscript
- Notes
- References
- Index
Summary
“When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”
“The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words mean so many different things.”
“The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be master – that’s all.”
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking GlassWhat is it?
It is surprising that, despite all the attention social care has received in the media and by policy-makers, it is hard to pin down a clear definition of what the term actually means (Smith et al, 2019). In 2007, Dame Denise Platt, an experienced and high-profile social care leader in local and national government, was asked by ministers to review how the status of social care could be raised. Her very first conclusion was that the term ‘social care’ is not well understood by the public and other opinion formers:
There is no universally agreed definition of the term ‘social care’ either within the service or beyond. The term social care is not recognised internationally; it is more common to find reference to personal social services. The term was created to provide a generic label for the people who worked in residential care and other social services who were not social workers. However, there is better understanding and definition of the term ‘social worker’, which has an agreed international definition. The title ‘social worker’ is now protected in law. (Platt, 2007)
The NHS website talks about ‘social care and support’ which it describes as ‘services to help you if you need practical support because of illness or disability; or care for someone receiving social care and support.’ It goes on to list different types of social care: ‘help at home from a paid carer; meals on wheels; having your home adapted; equipment and household gadgets; personal alarms and home security systems so you can call for help (for instance, if you have a fall) different types of housing, such as sheltered housing and care homes’ (NHS, 2021).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Ending the Social Care CrisisA New Road to Reform, pp. 53 - 88Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2022