The DASS Guide: Social inclusion and wellbeing

Social care is not just about services—it’s about people having the freedom to live the life they value. Promote inclusion by addressing barriers to access, especially for marginalised groups. Work with housing, leisure, transport, and community partners to support people’s participation and wellbeing.

Understand intersectionality, and use data and feedback to tackle inequality. Inclusion should be visible in your strategies, budgets, and outcomes frameworks. Promote social care as a human right—not just a service response.

Your leadership must go beyond compliance. Use equality and health inequality duties as a foundation, but don’t stop there. Work with disabled people’s organisations, LGBTQ+ networks, minority ethnic communities, and others to co-produce inclusive solutions.

As DASS, your role includes:

– Leading on reducing health and wellbeing inequalities.
– Ensuring people with the most barriers to access have priority focus.
– Aligning with public health, housing, education and employment to remove systemic obstacles.
– Modelling inclusive behaviours and language within your senior leadership team.

Wellbeing is a core concept in the Care Act, defined in broad and holistic terms. It includes personal dignity, control over day-to-day life, physical and mental health, emotional wellbeing, participation in work and education, and suitability of living accommodation.

Social inclusion and wellbeing are outcomes—not just inputs. They must be at the heart of commissioning, planning, and practice. Your leadership sets the tone.