Social care services and the social perspective

The national policy framework for people with learning disabilities and their families is rightly lauded as visionary. A frustration, however, is that the actual life outcomes for many people are not what they could be. This contribution looks at current policy within a historical perspective, and in the context of the current reality of people’s lived experience.With the focus and ethos of care having moved from the ‘medical model’ to one which is primarily educational and social, and with a strong emphasis now on social inclusion, the ‘social model’ is examined, and the importance of social care and social work, within the context both of national policy and what people want from specialist and generic services. Increasingly, people with learning disabilities wish to avoid a ghetto of ‘serviceland’ and move into the mainstream of national life.