Care where we live

Adult social care has been under intense financial strain for as long as I can remember. While funding often dominates the conversation, money alone will not fix a system that is under pressure from multiple directions. Long-term, sustainable investment is essential, but it is only one part of a larger picture in reforming adult social care to be fit for the future. 

The reality is that adult social care is being stretched to its limits, and people who draw on care and support are not always getting what they need, when and where they need it. Providers and councils are grappling with workforce shortages, difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, pay levels that do not reflect the skill and dedication required to do these roles well, and a system that can be complex and slow to navigate. As the number of requests for care continues to rise, without decisive action, the pressures facing the sector will only deepen, and the narrative about social care remains negative reinforcing the difficulties of recruitment and retention. 

Baroness Casey has been tasked with chairing an Independent Commission on Adult Social Care. An interim report is expected to be published this year, and ahead of this it’s critical that we ensure the unique voice of local councils is heard. 

Local government has a particular leadership role in how adult social care works and the future of the sector. We provide the leadership for social work, for community development and cohesion and as the largest commissioners of adult social care in England, and with statutory care responsibilities, councils are central to shaping sustainable reform and making it work in practice. Any reform will depend on local government leadership, capacity, accountability, and legitimacy, making it vital that council experience, political leadership, insight and expertise are reflected in national discussions. 

So, to help make this happen, the Local Government Association (LGA) is launching a new engagement and conversation series – ‘Care where we live’. We have designed this to gather honest, on-the-ground views from councils, sector partners, frontline workers, and people with lived experience of care and support. Through webinars, in-person events and a confidential interactive online platform, we will explore what a reformed system should look like and what is needed to deliver it. 

Feedback from our conversations together will shape the LGA’s collective input to the Independent Commission, and to demonstrate where local cross-party consensus lies. Over the next two months, we will consider key questions about the future of the sector, including the role of councils in social care delivery, inhibitors and enablers of reform, the model of care, and how to ensure people get the support they need.  

Adult social care affects all of us. Even if we are not drawing on support today, many of us will in the future, or know someone who does. This moment is an opportunity to take a long-term, system-wide view and build a shared vision for a sustainable adult social care system in England. 

As the national voice of councils, the LGA is committed to leading this conversation and we are looking forward to building a strong, cross-party consensus so adult social care can support people to live independent lives, now and in the years to come.