"Looking back at the history of failed adult social care reforms, the debate has all too often started
& ended with funding. We have tried not to make the same mistakes. We will talk about funding in this report but only once we have described our statement of purpose...

....but only once we have described our statement of purpose for social care support in Scotland, our design of a system to deliver on that vision, and the values and relationships that will be required to make improvement happen.' @AnnaSeverwright @socfuture *packs bags*

We have been absolutely determined to describe the purpose from the point of view of people who
receive or may benefit from social care support.

We have also used the term social care support throughout the report to reinforce that the person directs the system to support them – not the other way around.

Why start with purpose? To improve social care support, we must change systems and processes,
but first we must change hearts and minds

'Social care support is the means to an end, not an end in itself. The end is human rights, wellbeing, independent
living and equity, as well as people in communities and society who care for each other....

..However, more recently the default narrative about social care support is too often one of crisis, unsustainability, providing for the vulnerable, staff shortages and underfunding and occasionally even harm. It’s time to change that.' Amen

Note the Scotland social care review calling for 'a new social covenant': 'Trust is not currently in plentiful supply in social care support and so we believe that there is a
need for an explicit social covenant to which all parties would sign up.' @betterwaynetwrk @LacnNick

Ok so positive to see human rights elevated but surprised not to see Article 19 UNCRPD (living independently and being included in the community) not enjoying more prominence in the section on human rights. Reason? Good set of practical recs tho

reading the bit on unpaid care. The opening quote 'We are preventing a tsunami of need from overwhelming public services' is the growing burden narrative the report says it wants to get away from....

Good to see this 'Deciding to provide care should be a positive decision on the part of the giver' but that is meaningless without genuine choice through alternatives. The report is already labelling people 'carers' when it really means 'significant others'

And now to the idea of a National Care Service 'We need a system that is controlled nationally, that delivers locally,
has the person at the centre'.... hmmm.

Struggling to get my head around The National Care Service idea here. Reads more like a national care partnership, which might be attractive. How people who draw on social care would establish & maintain power in such arrangements seems the acid test to me.

The bit on care models is positive 'The problem is not that we do not have good ideas; it is that we have not acted on them at scale and with genuine commitment. We seem to rely too much on bottom-up developments that we expect to flourish without systemic support.'

want to "Reducing use of institutional/residential care; Making better use of adaptations and technology; Involving people and their families more in decisions; Include wider community supports in care"

"We do not believe that the answer to those
demographic challenges lies in building additional care homes. Most people say they would like to live in their own homes for as long as possible...

..Nonetheless, people told us that there is still an almost automatic default to care home care in some areas, particularly for frail older people" I think, fairly or not, the experience of Covid will cast a long shadow over care homes.

'Social connections are intrinsic to everyone’s wellbeing – people who access social care as much
as people who do not – and befriending networks can play a significant role in reducing isolation,
improving quality of life and providing a gateway to other types of activity'

Two things: we can be a bit more imaginative than 'befriending' can't we? Also, a framing tip - if we're seeing social care support as the means to living your life in the community, don't say 'accessing social care' saying 'drawing on social care support'

Very much like the last bit on commissioning for the public good, not least involving people centrally and collaboratively in commissioning, something that inexplicably eludes us in England

And this above all else: 'A decisive and progressive move away from time & task & defined services must be made at pace to commissioning based on quality and purpose
of care – focused upon supporting people to achieve their outcomes, to have a good life and reach their potential'

And finally and crucially 'Spending on adult social care is an investment in the Scottish economy'

Lots to commend in here really. Love the ambition. Bit on unpaid care is quite rubbish and needs rethinking. Confused by the National Care Service bit - it isn't a national care service, but I can kind of see the case for what's proposed. How to stop NHS/health taking over?