This vision has been developed by people that draw on or work in social care and through extensive public audience research.  It changes how people think about social care and builds public support for and optimism about investment and reform.

Our social care future

We all want a good life

We all want to live in the place we call home, with the people and things we love, in communities where we look out for one another, doing what matters to us.

Caring about each other

If we or someone we care about has a disability or health condition during our life, we might need some support to do these things. That’s the role of social care.

Drawing on support to live our lives in the way we want to

When organised well, social care helps to weave the web of relationships and support in our local communities that we can draw on to live our lives in the way that we want to, with meaning, purpose and connection, whatever our age or stage of life.

We know how to be better

There are already places that are thinking about and organising social care differently to achieve this. For example, by supporting facilitators who bring family, friends and neighbours together to support someone to do what matters to them, strengthening the relationships of everyone involved. Personal assistants, employed by people to provide practical support so someone can lead their life their way. And organisations that connect people with opportunities to use their skills and talents, which improves their wellbeing and benefits the local community.

Everywhere and for everyone

We believe that this can and should be happening everywhere and for everyone.

More resources, better invested

For that to happen, the government must make good social care a priority and begin investing more in it. And more local councils need urgently to start working alongside and supporting local people and organisations to bring these ideas to life by organising and funding social care differently.