Blog

Some of the most powerful conversations at the National Children’s and Adults Social Care Conference (NCASC) don’t happen on the main stage, they happen in the ‘Big Chats’. Led by people with lived experience of care and support, these lively sessions aim to create a welcoming space to explore the issues that matter most to people and communities. The Big […]

By Richard Humphries and Bernie Enright For decades, successive governments have promised reform of adult social care. Reviews have been commissioned, reports have been written and solutions have been proposed. Yet meaningful, lasting change has remained out of reach… until now.   What we’ve got at the moment is a sense of hope that real change […]

Stuart Cowley, Director of Adult Social Care and Health at Wigan Council, explores why the future of adult social care reform depends on empowering communities, neighbourhoods and local systems to shape solutions that reflect local needs, rather than pursuing a single national model. He shares Wigan Council's relational approach to reform, showing how collaboration and strong relationships can create lasting change and improve outcomes for people and communities.

Helen Jones explores how being an ADASS Associate helps her stay connected to the adult social care sector, reflects on the rewards of mentoring through the ADASS Associates programme, and encourages fellow Associates to become mentors to share their wisdom as former Directors of Adult Social Services. 

This blog from the Catalogue of Social Care Data (CASCID) team, by Edmund Stubbs, Raphael Wittenberg and Derek King, explores how a new place-based approach is helping turn social care data into practical insights for local decision-making. It highlights why understanding communities and local context is essential to tackling inequalities, planning services and improving outcomes […]

ADASS Senior Policy Officer Paul Buddery and experts share their reflections on co-producing our Care Closer to Home policy statement and the importance of the question, ‘so, what next?’.

David Cole lives in Dorset and draws on adult social care. He is a Quality Assurance Lived Experience Adviser at the council and shares his reflections for Co-production Week’s 2026 theme ‘Care Equity’.

Dr Laura Tucker explores why establishing a culture of research empowers staff, strengthens practice and improves outcomes for people who draw on care and support. She shares best practice for supporting research across adult social care organisations. 

Drawing on insights from his President’s Day and discussions with parliamentarians and partners, ADASS President Phil Holmes argues that tackling loneliness is one of the defining challenges of our time and should be a central goal of adult social care reform. Last week I chaired an event about Adult Social Care’s role in tackling loneliness […]

Jude Boyle from Derbyshire County Council and Michael Rose from Derby City Council share insights project in Derbyshire examining the barriers to sharing high-level carer data across the local care and health system.