At some point in their lives, virtually everyone has community care needs. Society is increasingly aware that community care does not solely concern the needs of elderly people or those with mental health difficulties. Indeed, in modern society Beethoven would qualify for services by virtue of his physical and sensory difficulties. "Community Care and the Law" has become the key text for anyone dealing with community care issues. Since its first publication in 1996, the area of community care law has continued to develop in a piecemeal fashion. Lawyers, advisers, local authorities and charities need a text to guide them through the resulting hotchpotch of complex and often overlapping legislative and case-law decisions. "Community Care and the Law" provides that guidance.