What Will Casey Ever Do For Us? (pt 1): What does Scotland’s experience tell us about introducing ‘free personal care’

On 18th January 2027 the Black Country Branch will host an open online exploration for Social Workers across England to look at the opportunities and risks, both for people who draw on care and support and for Social Workers, arising from the ‘Casey Review’ and Andy Burnham’s declared intention to create a ‘National Care Service’.

The Black County Branch understand that this review will lead to seismic systemic changes and the Branch wants to help to keep us all up to date and informed about the progress of the review. More importantly, the Branch wants to create a voice and a mechanism that supports Social Workers to influence the progress and the outcomes of the review.

It is hoped that this will be the first of several online events throughout the year which will be open to all, as we want to support you to stay informed and be well placed to both inform the recommendations made in the report and then to respond to the Commission report and Government’s response.

This first session will look at emerging issues and work done so far by the review. As Andy Burnham has already told Labour Conference that he wants to introduce ‘Free Personal Care’ we have invited Scottish colleagues to share their experience of the introduction of ‘Free Personal Care’ and the progress made towards an ‘integrated’ system in Scotland.

Andrew Reece, the BASW Professional Practice Lead who supports the ‘Social Work with Adults’ Thematic Group and the Black Country Branch, will open the session by setting the scene and outlining work done so far.

Planning for future instalments is in the early stages, so please do let us know if you want to support the Branch with this by e-mailing andrew.reece@basw.co.uk and you will be invited help plan subsequent meetings.

We wanted to publish this early to encourage people to sign up and hold the date. Looking forward to seeing you online on the 18th January 2027

If you’re not yet a BASW member, now’s the perfect time to join. Membership starts from just £5.39 a month and gives you access to this training, plus a huge range of BASW events, at a significantly reduced rate. It’s a great way to invest in your professional growth while connecting with a supportive community. Learn more here: https://basw.co.uk/why-join-basw