The community care movement in mental health services: Implications for social work practice

Abstract

This article is a critical review about the community care movement in mental health services in the UK and the USA. This movement has important implications for psychiatric social work practice. First, social workers have to enrich the concept of community care with those of normalization and social integration. Second, they have to develop an accepting community for mental patients and outpatients. Finally, they are the most suitable people to integrate formal and informal community care.