The Social Worker's Guide to the Care Act 2014

The Care Act 2014 is the most significant piece of legislation for adults who have social care needs. It is particularly important for social workers, as it sets out the legislative context for the core social work processes that apply to all adults. The Social Worker's Guide to the Care Act 2014 considers the legal framework from the perspective of what is most important for social workers, focusing on assessment of needs and devising care and support plans that meet eligible needs. The book uses unique approach to enhancing legal literacy by setting out the key concepts, applying them to case examples and evaluating how they are applied. It aims to enable social workers to better understand the legal framework within which they make professional judgements and apply their expertise, and to make it work better for them and the people they help. This substantially revised second edition incorporates learning from judicial reviews, decisions of the Ombudsman and research. Changes have been made based on the author's experience of providing training on the Care Act, including two new parts of the book focusing on professional judgement and defensible decisions. It also takes into account the amendments made to the Care Act 2014 by the Health and Care Act 2022. "Every social worker in England who works with adults needs a good knowledge of the Care Act. Whether newly qualified, several years into practice or an old hand this is the book that provides that knowledge. It is one of the key texts for practitioners I use again and again". Luke Geoghegan, Head of Policy and Research, BASW