Today 20 charities from the Care & Support Alliance welcomed the Government’s announcement of an engagement exercise to build a White Paper but urged the Government to ensure that progress towards firm decisions about sustainable funding for social care are kept on track.

In July 2010 the Government set up the Commission on Funding of Care and Support, chaired by economist Andrew Dilnot, to look at a fairer and sustainable way of funding social care. The Commission’s report – published in July 2011 – put forward a series of proposals for a new system of funding care, which brought widespread support from the Care & Support Alliance, the charity sector, social care directors, care providers and financial services. As a result, the Government has pledged to produce a White Paper by Easter 2012 and a ‘progress report’ on funding will be published alongside it.

The future for many people who need care and their families looks stark unless the social care system is better funded. Years of chronic underfunding has left disabled and older people and their families with an outdated care system which is not fit for purpose. A lack of awareness of the costs of care and the complexity of the system have left individuals and families confused and frustrated at the difficulty in trying to get help and facing huge and unexpected bills. In addition to this, the recent cuts to social care budgets have left people struggling without the vital care that they need.

The Care & Support Alliance and its members will be contributing substantial evidence to each of the work six work streams announced, with particular focus upon the proposals put forward by the Commission on the funding of social care.

Signed by:
Action on Hearing Loss
Alzheimer’s Society
Carers UK
Contact a Family
Counsel and Care
Grandparents Plus
Guide Dogs
Independent Age
Learning Disability Coalition
Macmillan Cancer Support
Mencap
MS Society
National Care Forum
National Family Carer Network
National Voices
Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Rethink Mental Illness
Shaping Our Lives
Stroke Association
VoiceAbility

Notes:
The engagement exercise will last until early December and can be accessed here: http://caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk/category/priorities/