Leading in troubled times

The President of ADASS, Jess McGregor, and Vice President, Phil Holmes, have today published a short statement about the challenges we all face and the standards we must maintain when leading adult social care through troubled times:

“In recent months we have seen marches, flags waved in anger as well as pride, and sharp debates about immigration and belonging. These are not just political arguments; they shape everyday life. They show up in the communities we serve, in how people view our organisations, and in how safe people working in social care feel visiting local neighbourhoods that might suddenly come across as hostile and divided.

“This is difficult terrain. We are not here to fight party-political battles. We continue to see the role of adult social care, using Social Care Future’s words, as helping people to live in the place they call home with the people and things that they love, in communities where they look out for one another, doing things that matter to them. That’s all people, without exception. Yet we do this work at a time when trust feels fragile and anger is often directed downwards — with disenfranchised communities pitted against one another and with people being encouraged to blame those who already have the least power.

“Leadership comes with privilege. The question is how that privilege is used — to divide people or to bring them together. We will always believe that the many people who adult social care both supports and employs in our cities, towns and villages have more in common than what keeps them apart. When public debate is noisy and unsettled, clarity of purpose matters most. In social care our work must be anchored in fairness, dignity and inclusion. These values are not optional.

“Privilege also means creating a safe environment: where no one is shouted down, and no one feels unsafe. It means modelling respect, making sure quieter voices are heard, and paying attention to colleagues who feel marginalised or afraid. None of us will get this right every time. What matters is learning and humility. Adult social care cannot fix every fracture in society but we can and will use the privilege of our leadership to call out injustice, to celebrate connection and to help make things safer and fairer.”

Further resources:

• ADASS Equity, Equality, Diversity (EEDI) vision and action plan
• Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the heart of care – previous blog by Jess McGregor
• Anti-Racism in Social Work – resources from BASW England

Members are encouraged to attend the virtual drop-in on Friday October 10 to discuss these and other issues with Jess and ADASS CEO Sally Burlington.