As the government continues to open up childprotection and social work in England to a commercial market place, what is thesocial cost of privatising public services? And what effect has the failure ofprevious privatisations had on their provision?

This book, by best-selling author and expert socialworker Ray Jones, is the first to tell the story of how crucial social workservices, including those for families and children, are now being out-sourcedto private companies. Detailing how the failures of previous privatisationshave led to the deterioration of services for the public, it shows how thistrend threatens the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children and disabledadults.