The Study

Abstract

Having outlined the problems associated with residential care for children and the particular form of management found in social services departments (SSDs), this chapter explains the nature of the study conducted into these areas. This includes coverage of the origins of the project and the aims of the project set by the Department of Health, the sponsor. The core purpose of the work was to understand the nature of the external management of children’s homes and to devote separate attention to the subject for the first time. The following sections outline the attempt made in the study to blend perspectives from the fields of child care, organisational studies and management as a means to shedding fresh light on the problem of external management.