Connecting Policy to Practice in the Human Services

Book excerpt: Traditionally, human services policy has been made by people whose own lives are unaffected by their decisions. As a consequence, that policy often fails to meet the needs of service users. In this second edition of Connecting Policy to Practice, as in the first, Wharf and McKenzie suggest that a more inclusive process will produce better results. Following a careful examination of current practices, they look at a number of alternative strategies, including shared decision-making, policy communities, community governance, and family group conference.