Volume 5, Issue 2 pp. 94-105

The implications for social services departments of the information task in the social care market

Virginia Bovell MSc

Corresponding Author

Virginia Bovell MSc

London School of Economics, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE

Virginia Bovell 28 Chatterton Road London N4 2DZ UKSearch for more papers by this author
Jane Lewis PhD

Jane Lewis PhD

London School of Economics, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE

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Fiona Wookey BSc

Fiona Wookey BSc

London School of Economics, Houghton St, London WC2A 2AE

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Abstract

The new information task faced by social services departments (SSDs) implementing the 1990 community care policy is huge. This paper notes the breadth and complexity of the early guidance on the subject and then examines the nature of the task and the issues it raised in a shire county. Three aspects are delineated: mapping needs, mapping the market and monitoring expenditure. We found that the county experienced a culture shift in order to accommodate the new requirements, but had difficulty in timing the introduction of its information and information technology (IT) software systems. Change associated with one aspect of implementation had important knock-on effects in others. We highlight the danger of procedures becoming system-driven and of staff being overwhelmed by the call for information. We note that by the end of 1994 (the end of the research period) the county was facing what we have termed ‘second wave’ challenges. We conclude that implementing community care requires an indefinite investment in people and systems and that the process challenges are in danger of diverting attention away from user and carer experiences and from outcomes.

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