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Social Work vocabulary · Adults and Vulnerable Groups

Adult social care

Meaning in social work, with examples

nounCommon term

In social work, adult social care means: Practical and personal support for adults who need help because of age, illness or disability, such as home care, day centres and care homes.

In Turkish: yetişkinlere yönelik sosyal bakım hizmetleri, yaşlı ve engelli bakım hizmetleri

How it is used

A UK term for both the council department and the whole sector; adult social workers assess needs and arrange care packages. In other countries the same services may be called long-term care, aged care or disability services.

Example sentences

  1. Adult social care arranged two home care visits a day after her fall.

  2. Funding for adult social care is under pressure as the population ages.

Common collocations

  • adult social care services
  • adult social care team
  • adult social care funding
  • care package
  • needs assessmentAn assessment that identifies what support a person, family or community needs, and which of those needs are not being met.
  • carerA person, often a family member or friend, who looks after someone who is ill, disabled, older or otherwise in need of support, usually without pay.
  • respite careShort-term care for a disabled, ill or older person that gives their usual carer a break, lasting from a few hours to a few weeks.
  • disabilityA long-term physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health condition that, combined with barriers in society, limits a person's daily activities.
  • residential careCare in which people live in a staffed setting, such as a children's home or a care home for older or disabled adults, rather than in a family home.

More terms: Adults and Vulnerable Groups

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