Social care

Submission: Resolution Foundation written response to Shaping the Future of Care Together Green Paper

Sophia Parker
Sophia Parker

This response to the social care Green Paper Shaping the Future Care Together welcomes the broad thrust of the Green Paper. We believe the shift towards seeing care as a universal entitlement rather than a safety net will vastly improve the experience of many low earners who often find themselves squeezed by the current system. 

Key findings

  • Our view is that further work is needed to clarify the terms of the ‘universal entitlement’ before a lasting funding settlement can be agreed. From the perspective of low earners, further detail is needed on the funding options before they can be assessed against fairness and affordability criteria. It is also unlikely that any single funding model proposed in the Green Paper will provide the full solution to the increased demand for social care.
  • We also argue in this response that more work is needed now on planning the route to reform. This will require greater alignment between funding options and a reformed delivery model, as well as a more explicit focus on what a successful reform process might look like. It will also require momentum to be maintained on the immediate reform agenda as we continue to work towards a long-term settlement. In particular, enabling the market for social care to work effectively is vital to improving outcomes for older people, and for delivering a vision of choice and personalisation.
  • We therefore welcome the Green Paper proposals around a national information and advice service, and an entitlement to a needs assessment. Our response offers further thoughts on how this could work effectively.

Further reading

Who cares?
The experience of social care workers, and the enforcement of employment rights in the sector
·
Nye Cominetti
To govern is to choose
The choices facing the Chancellor this autumn
·
Torsten Bell, Adam Corlett, Daniel Tomlinson
A caring tax rise?
The impacts of a potential increase in National Insurance
·
Torsten Bell, Adam Corlett
Sophia Parker
Sophia Parker Former Director of Research & Policy, then Acting Director