Reflecting the current emphasis in social care, social policy and welfare on the ideas of community and active citizenship, this book draws implications from the history of the settlement movement in Britain and the States which will inform and contextualise contemporary practice and policy. The contributors to this illuminating book develop the basic settlement concepts of strong communities and links across groups with different kinds of need, and apply them to current policy developments in community responsibility, the role of voluntary work and the future of social care. The issues explored through the history of the settlement movement are not only applicable to practice; they will also reinforce the identity of social care as a profession.