This book provides a framework for the analysis of historical social programs as well as guidelines for designing new programs and improving existing ones. Most notably, it offers a method for analyzing personal social services such as counseling and the personal, therapeutic, supportive helping that most social workers generally do, as opposed to merely "hard benefits" such as food stamps, cash, or housing vouchers. To help readers make the transition from theory to practice, an example chapter applies the method of analysis presented in the book to a specific community mental health program and presents the results of that analysis. Early chapters offer a history of social problem perspectives as well as social program and policy provisions, followed by guidelines for locating important court decisions that shape the way a social program or policy is implemented. New sections on evaluation present evaluative criteria for judging the effectiveness of major policy and program elements, and apply these criteria to evaluating and improving existing programs and creating new ones. This edition adds new social programs to the discussion and updates the programs covered in the Second Edition to include the latest changes. For anyone involved in evaluating or developing social programs.