This book offers a practical approach to maximising quality in social work that is based on developing a working culture that empowers key stakeholders in the delivery of services, whether these are managers, practitioners, service users or carers. Aiming to transcend the constraints on professionalism imposed by managerialism and the contract culture, it provides a critical appraisal of the main approaches to quality assurance and analyses these in detail in relation to child care, community care, mental health and criminal justice.