A funding settlement that works for people, not services

This paper was written by Emma Stone and Claudia Wood, in advance of the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010 and the coalition Government's new vision for social care, expected in early November. This paper:

• Examines the fact that we are at a critical point in the history of social care reform. A process spanning four separate administrations and all three major political parties may conclude in 2011 with the agreement of a new settlement for social care funding.
• Poses the question: will the proposed funding settlement and statute be aligned with each other, and, critically, with a vision for social care that is designed around people's lives, rather than around services?