SWU to attend Fixing Social Care and the Cost of Living Crisis: Agreeing Next Steps roundtable at the House of Commons

Parliamentarians along with FSCC core members and partners will call for a fair deal for social care at this high-level roundtable on June 6th

SWU General Secretary John McGowan said, “I am delighted that our chair Carys Phillips will be representing the union at this important, high-level and joint roundtable which will bring together the Chairs of the Future Social Care Coalition with the Chairs of Committees and the Adult Social Care APPG, as well as other key Parliamentarians and partners, to discuss what more still needs to be done to fix social care in the context of the cost of living crisis.”  

SWU Chair Carys Phillips said, “SWU is outward facing by supporting FSCC – we offer the voice of social workers speaking up for those hardest hit by society’s injustices, and our colleagues across the social care sector. ‘Leaving no one behind’ means encouraging, supporting and ensuring all Social Workers and Social Care Workers are supported through the ‘cost of living crisis’, action is now overdue.”

This joint session on 6th June 2022 will discuss how to work together to address the big challenges for the social care sector including:

  • How can we fix social care when the social care sector is already in crisis due to its massive recruitment and retention problem?
  • What needs to be done now to support the social care workforce and employers who, despite the Government’s Adult Social Care White Paper and subsequent reforms, are being hit hard by the cost of living crisis?

It aims to build consensus regarding how to achieve high-level support for a fair deal and in particular how can we work together to ensure that the Treasury gets the message that the social care sector is in crisis and needs urgent support.

Along with SWU and other key organisations, the FSCC has secured many high-level Parliamentarians to take part. The Rt Hon Alistair Burt, one of the four Co-chairs of the FSCC, has agreed to chair the debate and discussion with the following (all confirmed):

  • Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee
  • Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee
  • Damian Green MP, Co-chair of the APPG Adult Social Care
  • Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell, former Secretary of State for Health and Co-chair of the Future Social Care Coalition
  • Phil Hope, former Minister for Care Services and Co-chair of the Future Social Care Coalition
  • Christina McAnea, UNISON General Secretary and Co-chair of the Future Social Care Coalition