What is Adult Social Care?

The scale of adult social care and support is vast, affecting the lives of over 10 million adults of all ages in England.  People draw on care and support in different ways and at different stages of their life; some people will require support throughout their life whilst for others care needs develop suddenly or gradually.  Some people may only use social care for a short period (for example after a hospital stay).

Social care affects adults of all ages – including young people moving into adulthood and those of working age – with a diverse range of needs (including autistic people, people with a learning disability or physical disability, people with mental health conditions, people with dementia, and other people with long term conditions).

Care and support covers a wide range of activities to promote people’s wellbeing and support them to live independently, staying well and safe.  It can include ‘personal care’ as well as wider personalised support to enable people to stay engaged in their communities and live their lives in the way they want.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing people’s needs and, if individuals are eligible, funding their care.  Our Adult Social Care service in Somerset Council is made up of two functions: an operational service (made up of frontline social care teams), and an adult social care commissioning and quality service.

Most social care services are, however, delivered directly by independent care sector providers, which are mainly for-profit companies but also include some voluntary sector organisations. Many people will also have this care organised and purchased by their local authority, though many people with disabilities directly employ individuals (‘personal assistants’) to provide their care and support.

From April 2023, Local Authorities across the country will be assessed by the Care Quality Commission in relation to how effectively they are discharging their adult social care duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014[1].  This will include market shaping, commissioning[2], workforce capacity and capability, integration, and partnership working.

[1] Assessment framework for local authority assurance – Care Quality Commission (cqc.org.uk)

[2] Care and support statutory guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)