First published in 1990, this book was the first informed study to focus on care within the voluntary sector. Written with the child in mind, it is a sensitive work which explores the administration, strategy, and problems facing carers in children’s homes, at that time.

Centring on small, community-based facilities, the authors discuss the processes involved in setting up and running such facilities. They examine the difficulties of evaluating progressive services that are influenced by the philosophy of normalisation, and highlight the lessons from which other providers of services are able to learn.

Written by experienced researchers with contributions from service managers, Normalisation in Practice offers pragmatic advice on managing innovation efficiently without neglecting the needs of the child. Detailed interviews are combined with theoretical insight to provide an important guide for students and practitioners and a model for academics undertaking evaluative research. Although written at the start of the 1990s, this book contains discussions and material that are still very relevant to the subject today.