Direct payments and personal budgets book cover

A new book, 'Direct payments and personal budgets: Putting personalisation into practice (3rd edition)', by Social Policy's Jon Glasby and Rosemary Littlechild, has recently been published.

In the context of the Care Act 2014, this third edition of the leading textbook on personalisation considers key policy changes since 2009 and new research into the extension and outcomes of personal budgets. Direct payments and personal budgets have developed rapidly, transforming the whole of adult social care. In future, all care will be delivered via a personal budget, with direct payments as the default rather than the exception. As the concepts have spread from adult social care to other sectors, the changes have been controversial and difficult to implement. Front-line practitioners and people using services have struggled to make sense of these ways of working in a challenging financial and policy context.

This accessible textbook is essential reading for students, practitioners and policy makers in social work and community care services.

More details on the Policy Press website.

Baroness Campbell, who received an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham after being nominated by the School of Social Policy, was guest editor on the Today programme which aired on New Year's Day. Baroness Campbell has been a leading figure in the development of direct payments. You can listen to the programme here (available until end of January).