Control forms the basis for much social work practice yet how much do we understand about the nature of control in social work? With a focus on the field of community mental health, and drawing upon interviews with practitioners and service users, this book gives an in-depth account of how controlling practices in social work are experienced, perceived and negotiated in everyday interactions. It demonstrates how practitioners understand and manage ethical challenges and decision-making in the use of control, whilst accounting for the professional, institutional, legislative and socio-political contexts they operate within.