Question from Community Care – issue dated 7 December 2006

Mapping informal care and residential care in the UK. New Joseph Rowntree research

By Donald Hirsch

* How should care providers interact with the higher levels of informal family care available in more deprived areas? Are there ways in which social services can help support these activities, or is there a risk that they are taken for granted? (GUIDE TIME FOR DISCUSSION: 30 minutes)

* How important is it that care homes are available close to clients’ neighbourhood of origin? How should local authorities manage the balance between proximity and aspects of care home quality? (20 minutes)