DHSC announces next steps towards Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care

The Government has announced the next steps towards introducing the first-ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care in England, alongside an expanded Care Workforce Pathway.

Under the plans, a new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body will bring together employers and trade unions to negotiate pay, terms and conditions for the sector, with the first agreement expected to come into effect from April 2028. The Government has committed £500 million to support the first agreement and says the reforms will … Read the rest

CSA responds to ADASS Spring Survey 2026

The ADASS Spring Survey, published 14 July 2026, warns that councils face an overspend of £715 million on adult social care.

In response, a CSA spokesperson said:

“A projected £715 million overspend on adult social care is a stark warning that the current system is not sustainable. As more people need support, councils are being forced to make increasingly difficult decisions with resources that simply haven’t kept pace with demand. The result is that too many older people, disabled … Read the rest

CSA responds to the CQC’s first national assessment of adult social care

The Care and Support Alliance has responded to the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s first national assessment of adult social care provided by local authorities in England.

The report, based on assessments of 143 local authorities carried out between 2023 and 2026, found that 35% of councils require improvement, 2% are rated inadequate, and just 3% are rated outstanding, while 60% were judged to be good. It highlights significant variation in people’s experiences depending on where they live, with … Read the rest

DHSC announces decision to uprate Minimum Income Guarantee by 7%

On 17 February, DHSC announced a decision to uprate the Minimum Income Guarantee for working-age disabled adults by 7%. The Minimum Income Guarantee is the minimum amount of money a person should have left over each week for living costs (like food and bills), after contributing to their care costs.

Jackie O’Sullivan, Co-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance, said:

“The Government’s decision to uprate the Minimum Income Guarantee for working age disabled adults accessing social care by 7% is

… Read the rest

Our response to the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget 2025

In response to the Chancellor’s Budget announcement on 26 November 2025, the three co-chairs of the Care and Support Alliance; Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at Mencap, and Emily Holzhausen CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said: 

“Today’s Budget announcement does nothing to address the escalating crisis in social care. Adult social care budgets in England are already heading for a £623 million overspend this

… Read the rest

Autumn Budget 2025: Delivering Our Red Box of Stories

Red briefcase lies open, filled with stories, letters and notes to the Chancellor

On 24 November, a small delegation of Care and Support Alliance (CSA) campaigners made their way to No.11 Downing Street to hand-deliver our symbolic red box, filled with the stories of the real figures that matter – the older people, disabled people and unpaid carers across the country whose lives are shaped by the care and support they can access.

Campaigners deliver our red box of stories to Downing Street

Campaigners Rasila and Vic stand outside 10 Downing Street

Our delegation delivered the red box to Chancellor Rachel Reeves at No. 11 Downing Street, reminding her that with the … Read the rest

Care and Support Alliance asks MPs to “Show Us You Care” 

On 3 July 2025, the Care and Support Alliance hosted a drop-in reception for MPs in Parliament called Show Us You Care.  

Policy experts from some of the Alliance’s 60 member organisations, as well as a range of older and disabled people with experience of drawing on care, plus their unpaid carers and care professionals met with MPs to discuss the current state of social care. They discussed the transformative impact good, reliable care can have, and the issues … Read the rest

Care and Support Alliance responds to the Spending Review

On behalf of the Care and Support Alliance, Co-Chair, Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at Mencap, said:
“We welcome the Chancellor’s commitment that the Government will ‘back the Fair Pay Agreement’ and as an Alliance we will hold her to her word, when the time comes – which will not be until 2027 we believe.
“We also welcome the additional £4+ billion pledged for adult social care by 2028/9, when Baroness Casey’s Commission is due. However, until
… Read the rest

Care and Support Alliance response to announcement of independent commission on adult social care

The three co-chairs of the Care and Support Alliance; Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, Jackie O’Sullivan, Executive Director of Strategy and Influence at Mencap, Emily Holzhausen CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said: 

“In last year’s election we called on politicians to show us they care about social care and the 2.6 million people in England who go without the support they need. So, we are delighted that Baroness Louise Casey has been … Read the rest