First published in 1999, this volume is a revised and fully updated version of the ground breaking book Caring in the Community which was the first book to attempt to develop a theory of networking for social workers and others. It is still the only book which has systematically applied key networking principles to both community care and child care. There is now no doubt that the time has come for a new edition which will take into account the developments which have taken place in social care since the work was first published. This edition will also incorporate comparative European material thereby placing networking principles in a broader context.