The growing population of people with complex needs who require social care makes it important to find out what is the best way to support them. We looked at this question, interrogating the available research evidence, and also talking to the people directly concerned about what they want from social care. Our findings come from a large-scale literature search of all the current UK research evidence on this subject. We also listened to people with complex needs, their carers, and members of specialist organisations about what works best.