BASW England responds to launch of Baroness Casey commission on adult social care

BASW England welcomes the launch of the Baroness Casey Commission as an important opportunity for long overdue and meaningful reform of adult social care. We fully support an independent review that can bring lasting change for people who use services, carers, and the workforce.

It is critical that any reform recognises the need for sustainable, fair funding. Without urgent investment, meaningful improvements cannot be achieved. While we are encouraged by the Commission's ambition, we are concerned that the proposed timescales are too lengthy, as change is needed now to address the urgent pressures across the sector.

We believe that the most effective social care is created and delivered through co-production: a true partnership between those who use care and support services and those who design and deliver them. We hope the Baroness Casey Commission will embrace this approach, ensuring that people are not only heard but are actively involved in shaping ideas and solutions for the future. We also want to see a focus on equality.

The knowledge, skills and expertise of social workers must be fully recognised throughout the Commission’s work. Social workers play a vital role in adult social care, particularly in promoting rights-based, person-centred care and support planning, using professional judgement to balance individual needs, safeguarding duties, and the promotion of independence. Prevention, early intervention, integration across services, and effective safeguarding must be central pillars of any future vision for adult social care.

The Baroness Casey Commission must also place equality, rights-based approaches, and social justice at the heart of its work, ensuring that reforms address the structural inequalities and discrimination that too often shape people’s experiences of adult social care.

It is also essential that adult social care is recognised and valued in its own right and not simply viewed through the lens of health care or the NHS. Adult social care has a distinct role in supporting people’s rights, independence, and wellbeing within communities, and this must be properly reflected in the Commission’s work and recommendations.

BASW England, in collaboration with the BASW England Adult Social Work Group, members, people with lived experience, carers, and wider stakeholders, is already considering the recommendations needed to achieve a sustainable and inclusive adult social care system. We are committed to ongoing engagement across the sector and will share further details of this work soon.

We look forward to working with the Baroness Casey Commission, advocating strongly for the unique and diverse contribution of social work with adults, and helping to shape a future system where dignity, independence, and wellbeing are at the centre of care and support.

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The Independent Commission into Adult Social Care: terms of reference can be read here.