The 3 R’s of Social Care Reform

What can the Covid-19 pandemic teach us about social care reform? 

TLAP has been talking to people across social care, and including those who draw on care and support, about their experiences during the pandemic. Whilst much has been challenging, many of these conversations also revealed positive responses to the pandemic, or examples where Covid-19 was an opportunity to innovate or accelerate towards a more personalised vision of social care.

This paper reflects on these conversations and identifies drivers of the promising examples of practice, marked by changes in behaviour and increased levels of trust. It suggests that positive risk-taking, respectful relationships and a sense of reciprocity are key ingredients in characterising a positive response to the pandemic.

These behaviours and attitudes are brought to life in case studies that explore the impact of Covid-19 on self-directed support, commissioning, and the community response in different places in England. It highlights the value of co-production during the crisis, as a mechanism to quickly ascertain the challenges faced by people receiving care and support and in shaping a targeted response.