Adult Social Care Election Campaigning and Information Sharing

 

Manifestos

Labour’s manifesto is being signed off today to possibly be published on Thursday 13th. Conservative manifesto also expected next week. We discussed tactics for this and how we might be able to work together.

Consensus on call that responses need to reflect a positive invitation to do better, rather than a pile on which parties less likely to engage in social care reform. Our various responses to the Lib Dem plans for social care reform is a good example of that approach.

We also talked about how we get lived experience involved in the analysis of the manifestos and our various responses to them – can we all commit to quoting and involving people with lived experience in our various press releases and briefings following the manifesto launches?

Some discussion around common hashtags to be using so we can see all the responses, such as the CSA’s (#ShowUsYouCare) one or NCF’s one (#SpeakUpForCare).

 

LGA

LGA will be analysing manifestos and will pull out key points to it – they have to be careful with responses as they need to be cross-party. They have published a new analysis of the funding gap in local government: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/relationship-reset-whoever-forms-next-government-needed-councils-face-more-ps6bn-funding. Do also see their white paper for local government: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/local-government-white-paper.

LGA also wondered if we could have a conversation about a “VERY headline set of shared priorities/asks? If so, I wonder if that would help give a bit of structure to how we individually and collectively respond to manifestos etc. May not be possible, of course.”

 

Living Wage Foundation

Their report on real living wage for care workers has been picked up by Guardian and will be published Sunday/Monday. Please share and comment when you see it. Citizens UK is also working on a Citizens’ Assembly at end of June (26th I think?) which they are seeking to have key figures from main parties at.

 

Care Association Alliance

Melanie reported that she is aware of some filming that has happened of international care workers to give their perspective.

 

Democratic Engagement and Accessibility

Several organisations are working on engaging candidates, including inviting them to care settings and people’s homes to talk to people drawing on care and support and care workers.

It was flagged that some candidates and canvassers just don’t know what to do when approaching a care setting and can skip them out of fear of intruding or difficulty accessing. Perhaps this is something Care Provider Alliance and/or My Vote, My Voice can help with – produce something that can be sent to PPCs to encourage them to engage, as well as encouraging providers to facilitate democratic engagement. That should include people accessing care and support in a non-residential setting as well if they wish it – support to enable this (NCF’s speak up for care resources have some template letters that could be adapted to this purpose). There’s a collaborative approach that’s needed here to create resources that can be used following the election as well. There will be more than one organisation in this group that has access to the contact details of the PPCs.

There’s also more that providers can do to support people to register to vote and engage in the democratic process.

Paula also raised the need for a language guide for politicians when visiting people drawing on care and support.

The following weeks may also provide a good excuse to encourage democratic engagement with candidates:

 
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