Informing People about Social Services

Jane Steele, Philipa Hinkley, Nick Moore

People need information about social services. Without it they do not know what services are on offer, whether they are entitled to them or how to apply for them. The responsibility for providing the information rests with social services departments, and recent legislation has emphasised the need for all those involved in social services to ensure their actual and potential users are well informed. The DoH commissioned this practical guidance on developing and improving information services, .consisting of four documents, which are brought together in this one volume:

• Meeting the Need for Information
• The User Information Policy
• Developing Information Services for Users
• Summary of Legislation and Guidance

The guidance shows why it is important to provide information for users and potential users; explains how to develop a user information policy; gives practical advice on providing information; and demonstrates that information is an essential element of almost all the department's activities.

£16.00 paperback ISBN 0 85374 565 X
1993 126 pages A4
Report number 738