Stakeholder Newsletter – A National Care Covenant - January 2023

Held at Friends House in central London, over 140 participants heard the Archbishops of Canterbury and York talk in their opening and closing speeches about the imperative for immediate action, the role of the Church of England and faith groups in ensuring the success of a National Care Covenant, developed through national dialogue. 

The Chairs, Dr Anna Dixon and the Rt Revd James Newcome, Bishop of Carlisle, outlined the  Commission’s vision of reimagined care and support.. You can watch the live stream of the event here.

The National Care Covenant would set out the roles and responsibilities of government, communities, families and individuals. The Covenant would be developed by national government through a process of sustained public dialogue, taking its lead from the priorities of people who are most affected by care and support. Based on what the Commission has heard, we argue that the Covenant should lead to:  

• Investment in communities
• A stronger role for the state
• A new deal for unpaid carers
• A commitment to our responsibilities as actively engaged citizens

The Report argues that tackling negative attitudes to ageing and disability must be the starting point to reimagining care and support. Furthermore, the report makes radical recommendations for redesigning the care system, with a long-term aspiration of making care and support a universal entitlement, including:

• Simplified assessment that leads to a guaranteed budget
• People being trusted to manage their own care and decide what help they need
• Independent advocacy to help people to access their rights and entitlements

Panel discussion

Fazilet Hadi, Director of Policy, Disability Rights UK; Baroness Andrews, Chair, House of Lords Adult Social Care Committee; Emily Holzhausen OBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs, Carers UK; Sarah McClinton, President, ADASS; Revd Adam Edwards, Acting CEO, Church Urban Fund all participated in a panel discussion about the findings of the Report and their hopes for how it would act as a catalyst for positive action.

VIP guests

We were especially delighted to be joined at the launch event by so many special guests who participated in the work of the Commission through our Listening and Engagement Exercise, including people who draw on care and support and unpaid carers.  

We were joined by a number of representatives from Livability’s Changes for the Future Forum  to add to the discussions after the plenary sessions.  They created a wonderful film in which they talk about the care and support they receive enabling them to lead flourishing lives. It was also a privilege to be joined by representatives from SeeAbility, who also shared their experiences with us for a video on the website as well as at other points during our work.

What Next?

Determined that the work of the Commission Members and the contributions of people who draw on care and support, unpaid carers, care workers are taken forward, the Archbishops and Commission Members are committed to continuing to advocate for the development of a National Care Covenant.  We are delighted to have received endorsements from so many partner organisations and friends, and look forward to working further with them to make the case for a National Care Covenant through our collective efforts.