As well as resource constraints, people drawing on and working in social care often speak of their frustration at having to swim against a tide of rules, regulations and ways of working when trying to put Social Care Future’s vision into practice. This is the ‘plumbing and wiring’ of adult social care that can help or get in the way of change. It stands in the way of realising the spirit and intent of the Care Act 2014, of more power resting in the hands of people who draw on support to live their lives and of supporting the innovation we need to thrive in the coming decades.
Changing this is an ambition shared by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), which in 2023 published a “Time to Act” Roadmap for social care reform starting from the Social Care Future vision. The Roadmap sets out a wide range of practical steps to be taken including on what it calls “the wiring” of social care.
What are we doing?
Social Care Future is working with a group of local councils and people and connecting with key national bodies like the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and ADASS to influence change.
An important part of the initiative will take place in several local areas, where we will support councils and local people to use an approach called “Working Together for Change.” This will help us to understand and act on barriers in the way of an important change like how direct payments are working or supporting families better. It will also permit us to show what benefits could be achieved by making changes, to identify who needs to take action and to start to make changes. You can find out more about the approach here. Another part of this work will look at the technical aspects of systems, policies and practice.
At our Social Care Future gathering in Manchester in October we started to gather people’s ideas on the key issues and what might be done. Over the next six months we will go deeper.
How can you get involved?
In the New Year, if you have experience and ideas to support this important work, you can join one or more online sessions via Zoom to shape it. Please register to join one more of these sessions by clicking on the link:
A general session for anyone to share the issues and solutions you think are important
January 24 2024 10 am -12 pm Register here
A session just for people who draw on support and families to ensure the key issues for them are central to this work
January 24 2024 2- 4 pm Register here
A session for people interested in assessment and care planning
January 30 2024 10 am – 12 pm Register here
A session for people interested in Direct Payments
February 6 2024 10 am – 12 pm Register here
A session about commissioning and procurement
February 14 2024 10 am -12 pm. Register here
A session about finance and insurance
February 21 10 am – 12 pm Register here
A session on Information Technology systems, performance and reporting
February 27 2024 10 am – 12 pm Register here
A session on Regulation
March 5 2024 10 am – 12 pm Register here
What next?
We will bring information and ideas together from the work above and from other information we review, to develop and publish proposals for change. In summer 2024, we will bring together people who have been involved for a full-day session with the organisations and bodies that can make changes or influence the key issues and work to agree short, medium and long-term action to help remove barriers.
