Local Government Association Economic Downturn Project
Work started in March 2009 and continues to October 2009
Since the recent economic slowdown, the Local Government Association (LGA), in partnership with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), has become aware that Local Authorities are reporting impacts across the whole system of social care and support. Anecdotal evidence has been supported by reports, such as the IDeA/LGA/SOLACE ‘Survey of the Impact of the Economic Slowdown on Local Authorities 2008’. The aim of this research is to elicit more detailed information about the impact of the slowdown on social care from a small number of local authorities and provider organisations. The research is being undertaken through telephone interviews with a small number of social care staff and provider organisations. In addition to the interviews, the local authorities involved will be asked to post an online survey on their website, so that additional provider organisations have the opportunity to comment. Alongside the local analysis, there will be some broader analysis of emerging relevant literature, and interviews with a small number of national provider organisations.
The research aims to explore all effects of the economic downturn on social care, both positive and negative, including:
- providers of adult social care and support (care homes, providers of domiciliary and day care, third sector providers)
- councils directly (for example, increased costs as more people requiring publicly-funded social care, or decreased income from social care charges)
- councils indirectly (such as changes in the availability of resources to partners - like third sector organisations or health partners - which may then impact on authorities)
- individuals (for example, dropping house prices bringing more people into public-funded social care, or disabled people less likely to find employment).
Once the fieldwork is complete, we shall be validating the results with a wider network of authorities. The findings will be anonymised and made available in a report, which will be published in Autumn 2009.
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