Last Autumn, together with Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, we restated the values that underpin social care - Reaffirming Our Values in Adult Social Care – Social care. Those values persist and remain fundamental. But in the …
On the 16 June I chaired the first National Adults Safeguarding Board, created in direct response to Baroness Casey's safeguarding recommendations set out in her letter to the then Secretary of Health and Social Care on 3 March 2026, and …
This week is Loneliness Awareness Week and I wanted to thank Phil Holmes, this year’s President of ADASS for challenging us to think about the contribution of adult social care to tackling loneliness. When I think back to my time as a front-line social …
This week is Carers Week and the theme is Building Carer Friendly Communities. To celebrate we have a guest blog from the Nearest Relatives Resources Project team. It focuses on one of the spaces that carers can find really daunting - the mental …
Introduction from Sarah McClinton This blog marks Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 with a thoughtful reflection on what it means to move beyond awareness and towards meaningful action. It explores how mental health social work can help rebalance power, place …
Introduction by Sarah McClinton I was so impressed when I heard about the Live More initiative in Greater Manchester and would like to thank Neil Crowther for this blog, which I am delighted to introduce. It is particularly timely, as …
Harambee “all pull together” feels like a homecoming theme for social work, the belief that people thrive when they are connected, when communities have the power to shape their own futures, and when support is built on trust, relationships and …
It can feel like adult social care is seen nationally by the media and others through the lens of ‘discharge’ and ‘flow’. When I was President of ADASS, I remember waking up to the radio one morning to a story where the lack of social care capacity was blamed for acute pressures. I got in touch with the speaker to set the record straight. Since then, the conversation has shifted. There's a greater …
I hope the new year started well and everyone had a good break over the holidays. This time last year I started as the Chief Social Worker at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and much has happened …
Introduction by Sarah McClinton, Chief Social Worker for Adults As we welcome the start of Safeguarding Adults Week, I am delighted that Adi Cooper has accepted our invitation to write this blog and share some of her valuable reflections on one …