The White Paper and Prospects for Social Care: A Personal View

Abstract

This article offers a personal view of the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, from a service user perspective. The Minister for Care Services, Liam Byrne, has stressed that the philosophy of the White Paper is based on strengthening personal control over support, prevention and the integration of health, social care and other services. This discussion examines the emphasis on health over social care in the presentation of the White Paper. It puts the document in the broader context of social care policy development over the last 20 years, and relates it to the views of service users expressed in consultations leading up to its publication. It considers the White Paper's potential ambiguity, its relation with resource issues and what next steps may be needed to take forward its positive principles.

Citation

Beresford, P. (2006), "The White Paper and Prospects for Social Care: A Personal View", Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 3-7. https://doi.org/10.1108/14769018200600018