The Social Care Register

Stronger Together, Valued and Respected

Established in 2024, The Social Care Register is the UK’s only, free membership organisation, for people working in adult social care. As an organisation our main ambition is to promote the professional status of workers, develop opportunities for  training and continuous professional development; and to establish the largest, dedicated platform for job and career opportunities across the sector.

Adult social care covers a wide range of activities to help people who are older or living with disability or physical or mental illness live independently and stay well and safe. It can include ‘personal care’, such as support for washing, dressing and getting out of bed in the morning, as well as wider support to help people stay active and engaged in their communities. Social care includes support in people’s own homes (home care or ‘domiciliary care’); support in day centres; care provided by care homes and nursing homes (‘residential care’); ‘reablement’ services to help people regain independence; providing aids and adaptations for people’s homes; providing information and advice. and providing support for family carers.

Social care is often broken down into two broad categories of ‘short-term care’ and ‘long-term care’. Short-term care refers to a care package that is time limited with the intention of maximising the independence of the individual using the care service and eliminating their need for ongoing support. Long-term services are provided on an ongoing basis and range from high-intensity services like nursing care to lower-intensity community support. Both long and short-term care would be arranged by a local authority and could be described as ‘formal’ care.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing people’s needs and, if individuals are eligible, funding their care. However, most social care services are delivered by independent sector home care and residential care providers, which are mainly for-profit companies but also include some voluntary sector organisations. Many people will also have this care organised and purchased by their local authority, though many people with disabilities directly employ individuals (‘personal assistants’) to provide their care and support.

In 2021/22 the adult social care sector was comprised of around 17,900 organisations across 39,000 care-providing locations with 1.79 million posts (1.62 million filled posts and 165,000 vacancies). The number of full-time equivalent filled posts was estimated at 1.17 million and the number of people working in adult social care was estimated at 1.50 million in 2021/22; more than in the NHS (headcount of 1.4 million).

Around 1.5 million people work in adult social care, with around three-quarters in direct care roles. By joining forces, through membership of the Social Care Register, you can be part of the new revolution and voice for change.