Alongside attending sessions on care, health, housing, local government and communities, including a very moving session on caring with Ed Davey hosted by Carers UK, we brought together social care experts, national and local government representatives, and people with lived experience to explore shared asks of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care.
A number of considerations for the commission were discussed, including the breadth of the challenge facing adult social care provision; the cultural shift needed to ensure disabled people of a working age are consistently part of the government's thinking and decision making on care and support; and the connections between social care, employment support, health, education, housing and social security.
In regard to asks, some of the key takeaways were the need to deal with inconsistencies in commissioning and best practice delivery, the importance of taking a rights-based approach to reform and the value the sector brings to people's lives, communities and the wider economy.