For a long time, social care has been something we don’t talk about.

Yet, it’s there when an older relative needs support. When a parent can no longer manage alone. When a friend or loved one needs help to live independently after injury or illness. 

But it’s not part of the NHS, so it doesn’t benefit from the funding or the plaudits that our healthcare system receives. Instead, it is funded by cash-strapped local councils and by the people who use care services themselves.

Despite this, and having a budget just one-fifth the size of the NHS, it employs more people and delivers more hours of care. 

It stays in the background. Unspoken, overlooked, and taken for granted. Ignored by politicians and forgotten about by citizens – until they need it.

What does social care do?

Social care is the support for people who need help with everyday life. That can include personal care, help at home, support to get out into the community, or specialist care in residential settings. It exists to help people stay safe, well, and as independent as possible.

But in reality, it is so much more than a list of services.

It’s the reassurance of knowing someone is there. It’s the dignity of being able to live life on your own terms. It’s the support that keeps families together and communities connected. It’s what allows people not just to live, but to live well.

At some point, all of us will come to know and rely on social care, whether through our own lives or through someone close to us.

There is so much good happening every day across the social care system. Whether it’s an older person able to stay in their own home, surrounded by the things that matter most to them, or the young person supported to live life on their terms, not the terms of their disability. 

Why Care About Care today?

It is no secret that the social care system is under huge pressure. All politicians have failed to support and fund the care system for over 20 years. We have an ageing population, and more people are living longer with complex lifelong care needs.

While demand for support is increasing every year, the Government has failed to provide the funding needed to ensure everyone who needs care can access it. 

The result: over two million people have an unmet social care need.

The social care system – a vital public service, the heart of all our communities, and an essential component of our economy – is now struggling to survive. 

If we want a social care system to be there for all of us when we need it, we cannot afford to ignore it any longer. 

Let’s make it better. Let’s invest in all our futures. Let’s Care About Care. Together.