Imosphere’s Post

📢 Mithran Samuel at Community Care reports that more people are receiving adult social care in England following years of decline. Official data shows that councils fund care for 858,720 people, up 2.8 per cent from the year before. 📊 The decline in the number receiving long-term care from 2015-16 to 2021-22 came despite a 9.3 per cent rise in annual requests for care during that time, leading to significant concerns about increased unmet needs and councils rationing care in response to financial pressures. 📈 However, there was a slight improvement in provision for carers, with a 1.3 per cent increase in the number receiving a service in 2023-24, following an 8.4 per cent fall in numbers supported over the two preceding years. #adultsocialcare #caresupport #councils https://lnkd.in/eR5dX2UG

Social care can be transformative for people when they receive it. But they need to get it first. Writing in Social Care Today our Chief Executive Louise Ansari outlines the scale of unmet social care need in England and the steps required to improve access to these vital services. #SocialCare #UnmetNeed #SocialCareToday https://lnkd.in/dTrtPkpF

📢 Check out this eye-opening article from LGC revealing waiting time figures for adult social care, released for the first time in a decade! The data sheds light on the significant waits endured by older people, with some waiting up to 149 days for essential care and support. The lack of routinely published waiting time figures highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in the social care sector. Explore the article to learn more about the challenges councils face and the calls for improved standards and funding to address these issues. #SocialCare #safeguarding #socialwork #localcouncil

Healthwatch England’s new research provides the first-ever estimate of unmet social care need among working-age disabled people in England.     A poll of 1,504 working-age disabled adults found that 28% have never accessed social care or other support despite potentially being eligible.    Across the country, this would translate to around 1.5 million people.     We’re joining Healthwatch England, calling for a fully funded, long-term plan to reform social care, which should include proactive outreach to people who may benefit from social care.  As part of it, we also need to improve support for unpaid carers and focus on prevention.  https://lnkd.in/ekGUnPqZ

This article from Community Care about the legacy of Conservative austerity policies really sets out the damage that has been done to Adult Social Care. The Care Act (2014) has some excellent provisions and the vision of Adult Social Care it sets out is admirable. But its positive vision hit up against the reality of the devastating cuts the Conservatives imposed on Local Authorities. One study noted in the article shows that spending on carers was reduced following the implementation, contradicting the very purpose of the Act. A number of Local Authorities are now close to bankruptcy as a consequence of the severity of this funding crisis. https://lnkd.in/ebKutuMa

Josh MacAlister MP, Author of the Independent Review for Children's Social Care, writes for Chamber UK: 'When I chaired the Government’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in 2022 it became clear to me that children’s social care needs a complete reset.' Read more 👇 https://lnkd.in/eStEiBEy #social #care #socialcare #health #children #youngpeople #ukgovernment #governmentuk #government #ukpolitics #politicsuk #politics

The Department for Education's new Data Strategy and Children’s Social Care Reform Strategy provides opportunities to widen our ambition and strengthen our focus on children’s needs. By using data on children’s needs we can improve outcomes and reduce cost nationally and regionally. IMPOWER's Dominic Luscombe shares insights from joint report with County Councils Network via TheMJ today. #localgovernment #childrensservices #care #childrenincare #valuingcare

Sector leaders have criticised the lack of progress two years on from the Care Review publication. The Our Care coalition, which includes NSPCC and Barnardo's, is concerned over a lack of action to enact reforms promised by the government following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care’s final report. Tristone’s COO, Rob Finney, has been following developments closelyover the last couple of years. Read his blog on the latest proposed reforms as part of the review’s recommendations. https://lnkd.in/e5E9xNaB #socialcare #carereview #childrenssocialcare

🌍 A Crucial Question for Adult Social Care 🌍 With the cost of adult social care projected to rise significantly, how should councils balance increasing demand with shrinking budgets without cutting essential services? This is a pressing issue facing local authorities across the country, as rising costs and increased demand put immense pressure on already tight budgets. Solutions must be found that prioritise care for our most vulnerable without compromising the quality of services. What are your thoughts on how councils can address this challenge? S Should there be more investment, innovative approaches, or changes to the way social care is funded? Let us know your ideas! 💬👇 #SocialCareCrisis #AdultSocialCare #BudgetChallenges #CommunityCare #JamesPlace

Andy Smith, the new president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services has highlighted the current lack of urgency towards social care reform. Despite the care population growing year-on-year over the last 15 years, the number of suitable placements are dwindling. Young people within the care system also have increasingly complex needs, requiring highly tailored placements. This is a significant driver of cost and puts further strain on an already over-stretched system. The ADCS is also sceptical of the DfE’s key placements reform, which will see regional care co-operatives take over responsibility for commissioning - but implementation of this is years away from becoming a reality. As Andy Smith said: "We need a properly resourced plan to tackle what is a placement sufficiency crisis and some of it cannot wait for some of the medium- and long-term plans in Stable Homes.” https://lnkd.in/eNew9GAr #StableHomes #ChildrensServices #LookedAfterChildren