Frequently asked questions

The Big Conversation on Care is part of the work of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, also known as the Casey Commission. You can find out more about the work of the Commission here.

The Big Conversation is a chance for everyone across England to have their say on the future of adult social care.

We want to include as many people as possible in the Big Conversation, so everyone has the opportunity to take part online. We’ll also be talking to those who have experience of care and people who work in care. What we hear from people will help inform more in-depth discussions with the Public Panel on Care, a group of people selected to broadly reflect the diverse population of England.

The Big Conversation is being led by the Casey Commission, working with Ipsos, who are an independent research organisation, and their partners. They all have experience of involving the public in important and complex issues. 

Most of us will need care or support at some point in our lives because of ageing or disability or a serious illness, or have a loved one who will. We also pay for social care through our taxes. So care matters to all of us.

There are big questions about how care should work in the future, and there are no easy answers. That’s why we want to hear from as many different people as possible.

You might have experience of care yourself. You might care for a family member or friend, work in care, or simply have views about the kind of care and support you would want for yourself or someone you love in the future.

You don’t need to know anything about adult social care to take part. We want to hear what matters to you.

Our work to date has focused on looking at the current arrangements for social care – we talk about an adult social care system, but the truth is we don’t really have a system at all. What we have a is a patched together set of arrangements – involving local councils, the NHS, the benefits system, private providers, charities and unpaid carers. They all pull in different directions, and the public is left to find its way through.

There have been many previous attempts at reform but these haven’t sufficiently involved the public in what they think, what they expect, what they want to see and what trade-offs they are prepared to accept to achieve this.

The Big Conversation on Care is about hearing from the public and giving everyone the opportunity to say what they think, contribute their ideas and hear what others are saying. 

As well as hearing from as many members of the public as possible, we’ll be reaching out directly to people receiving care and their families and those working in social care.

What we hear from the public and those receiving care will help inform more in-depth discussions with the Public Panel on Care, a group of people selected to broadly reflect the population of England.

The group will look at what people have told us and spend time discussing some of the difficult questions and choices about the future of care. Their ideas will then be shared back with the wider public, giving people another chance to have their say before the group makes its final recommendations to the Casey Commission.

By hearing from lots of different people, and giving people time to think about the difficult choices, we can make sure a wide range of views and experiences help shape the future of care.

We will publish a summary of what we heard through the Big Conversation and explain how people’s views helped shape the recommendations. 

You can take part in the Big Conversation on Care through our online conversation platform, which is run by Make.org, an independent, non-partisan organisation that specialises in large-scale public engagement.

You can take part using the platform on this website. The online conversation is hosted by Make.org on behalf of the Commission.

If you would prefer to access the conversation directly through the Make.org website, you can do so here.

You’ll be asked one question to start with:

“When we are old or disabled, or have a serious illness, who should support us and how?”

From there, you can share your own ideas, read what other people have said, and say whether you agree or disagree with their ideas.

As more people take part, we will be able to see which ideas and concerns matter most to people, where people agree and where they have different views.

What we hear online will help inform the next stages of the Big Conversation on Care.

The Public Panel on Care will be formed of members of the public, selected at random to reflect the country as a whole, who will meet regularly to work through the big questions about care in more depth.

This group will hear what the wider public has said through the Big Conversation and then take time to learn about the issues and hear from people with different experiences and expertise. They will discuss different ideas and weigh up the difficult trade-offs and find common ground.

This process is called deliberation. It gives people the time and information to think carefully about difficult questions.

Because the group continues over a longer period, it can follow the questions as they develop rather than meeting only once. Its work builds towards a clear set of recommendations, which feed back into the Casey Commission to help shape the future of adult social care.

Deliberation means giving people the time and information to consider something before reaching a view. People are given clear, balanced information, the chance to hear from experts and from others with different experiences, and time to discuss and reflect.

They can ask questions, test ideas and change their minds. Only then do they reach their conclusions.

This approach works well for difficult questions where there are genuine trade-offs and no easy answers which are exactly the kind of questions the future of care involves.

Invitations will be sent at random to tens of thousands of households across the country. From those who say they’re willing to take part, a smaller group will be chosen to broadly reflect the population. This will include people of different ages and backgrounds, from different parts of the country, and with different experiences of care. We aim to recruit between 100 and 150 people to take part.

You can’t put yourself forward to join the group. Asking for volunteers could mean we only hear from people who already have strong views about care or have more time to take part. Selecting people at random, like a lottery, helps us bring together people from all walks of life with a wide range of views and experiences.

You don’t need any particular knowledge or background to take part, and anyone selected will get the support they need to get involved.

As part of the Big Conversation on Care, we have asked our independent partners to reach out to people with experience of social care – those who draw on it themselves and their carers in ways that work for them. Our independent partners will work with trusted community groups, charities and care organisations to reach these people and others who may find it harder to take part. This could include smaller group discussions, one-to-one conversations or more informal ways of sharing views.

These conversations are being run separately by our independent partners and the Commission is not involved in organising them.

As part of the Big Conversation on Care, we have asked our independent partners to reach out to people who work in adult social care in ways that work for them. They will work with employers, professional bodies and workforce networks to reach people from across the adult social care workforce. This could include workshops, discussion groups and other opportunities to share views.

These activities are being run separately by our independent partners, and the Commission is not involved in organising them.