ADASS President Stephen Chandler image
ADASS President Stephen Chandler

In his first speech as the new president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), Stephen Chandler reflected on the lessons of the last year, called on the UK Government to urgently set out its plans for the future of care and support, and asked for everyone to come together to speak up for the change that we all know is needed.

At the ADASS Spring Seminar 2021, Stephen Chandler said: “As a society over the last twelve months we have all learnt so much about the difference high quality, compassionate care and support makes to millions of individuals and families’ lives every day.

“We have also witnessed the devasting and disproportionate impact of the pandemic upon those of us with care and support needs, carers and those who provide care and support to others.

“What we have learnt over the last year underlines that we cannot afford any further delays and we need the Government to publish its promised plans for future of care and support as a matter of urgency.

“I want everyone with personal experience and who is passionate about care and support to come together, to be confident, to be ambitious, and to help us make the change happen’. Together we can ensure that all of us have access to the care and support we want for ourselves and our families, today and for years to come.”

ADASS is a charity and an independent voice of adult social care in England. It works to promote higher standards of social care services as well as influence policies and decision-makers to transform the lives of people needing and providing care.

At the beginning of the year, ADASS called on the UK Government to provide an urgent £480 million cash injection to support the “exhausted” social care sector. It said that this would ensure new social care staff could be employed to ensure vital services for elderly and disabled people did not collapse as the COVID-19 pandemic reached a new peak.

In a report published by the social care charity, it highlighted that prioritising access to assistive technology and promoting independent living at home are key for social care reform. The publication noted that the coronavirus pandemic represents a huge opportunity to rethink, redesign and reorientate the social care system to create a system that is suitable for everyone.

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