Brown, Keith

This article considers the provision of informal care and how it is likely to be affected by changes in population and in family structure. It argues that, even with a promotion of actively involved citizens, there is likely to be a significant growth in demand for social care services as the structure of society shifts. This will have major implications for the role of social workers and for social policy.

Requirements set out for the social work degree and post‐qualifying framework specify the involvement of service users and carers on a number of levels. Research indicates that service user and carer involvement can benefit students, professionals and service users and carers themselves. To keep up with demands placed on service users and carers by higher education institutions and other social work bodies, the issue of capacity needs to be addressed.