Forty years in adult social care: lessons, laughter and listening to what matters

Freshly retired, Mel Lock reflects on the people, partnerships and principles that shaped her career – from championing lived experience and rural communities to navigating funding pressures and reform. As she steps away from full-time leadership, she shares the lessons, humour and humanity that have kept her committed to ensuring people live lives shaped by choice, dignity and connection, not services. 

After forty years in social care and health and more cycles of reform, funding shifts and restructures than I can count, I am preparing to retire. It feels like a blend of pride, disbelief, and a quiet thrill at the prospect of a Friday afternoon without a last‑minute briefing landing in my inbox. 

As I step away from Somerset, I’ve been reflecting on the privilege of serving regionally and nationally, and how much the sector has shaped me and I hope, how I’ve helped shape it too.

The greatest transformation in my career has been the rise of voices of lived experience. When people tell us what “good” looks like, their answers are clear. 

They listened to me properly. 

Like Pauline, supported through advocacy to make choices despite challenges, her wishes led the way, not the system. 

They helped me live the life I want not the one they assumed I should.  

Whether it’s someone regaining everyday independence like Morris, or someone choosing to live lightly supported in nature, good care respects individuality. 

They saw us as a family, not two cases.

Michael and Dot’s joint plan captured what relational practice truly means. 

These real Somerset stories remind us that good care is simple: see me, hear me, respect me, and respond to the life I want to lead. 

Being a DASS in the Southwest has been especially meaningful. Our geography is stunning but challenging, long distances, fragile rural services, housing pressures and workforce shortages that often go unseen nationally. Leading SW ADASS has been one of the most rewarding parts of my career. Together we created a unified rural, city and coastal voice that could highlight the realities of our communities. 

Throughout, ADASS has supported me personally from those late‑evening calls in the depths of the Covid-19 pandemic, through to some of the more demanding budget rounds where shared honesty and encouragement made all the difference. I’ve seen ADASS evolve as an organisation from a professional network into a confident national voice with stronger evidence, greater influence, and an unwavering commitment to people who draw on care and support. 

My national work with ADASS, particularly across finance, and resources, gave me a front‑row seat to the complexities of social care funding. The financial intelligence work from the Budget Survey to the Financial Pressures analysis has become central to national understanding that supports and influences the dialog with the DHSC, MHCLG and Treasury.  Being part of this meant helping shine a light on the fragility of the provider market, the real cost of care and the scale of unmet need. Sometimes the messages were hard to hear, but they were essential for honest conversations with government and partners.

As I retire, I look forward to family time, long walks and the novelty of a week without a 90‑page policy document but I will keep cheering for the sector loudly. Once you’ve been part of social care, it stays in your bones. 

And as I think back to people like Darren, who was experiencing homelessness at 18 years old and whose safety depended on professionals pulling together, I’m reminded why this work gets under your skin. It’s the humanity, the teamwork, the relentless problem‑solving, and the belief that people deserve better than ‘service‑shaped lives.’ 

Although I’m retiring as a DASS, I’m certainly not disappearing. After forty years, you don’t just switch off a sense of purpose. I’ll be taking a breath, enjoying family, and embracing the novelty of days without urgent briefings but I’ll also be using my skills and experience to continue championing adult social care wherever I can add value. 

So, although I’m stepping back from full‑time leadership, don’t be surprised if you see me popping up occasionally supporting the sector, cheering on colleagues, lending a perspective, or simply turning up with cake. Once you’re part of social care, it never really leaves you. 

Mel Lock was the Executive Director for Adult Services & Housing, Lead Commissioner Adults & Health for Somerset Council.