ABSTRACT
Social workers working with adults may wonder what the concept of social exclusion really adds to their work. After all the people they work with – those with disability, mental health problems, learning difficulties, in old age – are already widely recognised as socially isolated, discriminated against, often impoverished and cut off from effective services. What further light, they will ask, can the new vogue of social exclusion cast on their work? They will echo a recent poignant letter to the editor of Welfare Benefits:
At the end of this chapter you should be able to understand:
How care management with vulnerable adults restricts in scope the efforts of social workers to address exclusionary barriers
That in tackling the social exclusion of adult users social workers need to combine their more familiar community care practice with community development work
How to maximise opportunities for user participation within mainstream community care practice
How to reduce exclusion with specific groups of service users.
