# Care Unpacked

> News and know-how for better care.


## Posts

- [Children’s minister promises blueprint for residential care in England](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/england-residential-childcare-blueprint-macalister-november-2026/): Children’s minister Josh MacAlister has set out plans for a blueprint for the future of residential care in England.
- [King’s Fund report puts self-funders’ care information needs in focus](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/self-funders-care-information-kings-fund-november-2026/): People paying for their own adult social care can face a difficult search for both support and information, according to research published by The King’s Fund on 10 November 2026.
- [Only 22.8% of completed standard DoLS applications met 21-day timeframe](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/dols-england-2025-2026-standard-applications-timeframes/): Fewer than a quarter of completed standard Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards applications in England met the statutory 21-day timeframe in 2025–26.
- [Wales retains April 2027 target for children’s care expansion restrictions](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/wales-childrens-care-expansion-restrictions-april-2027-response/): The Welsh Government has retained its proposed 1 April 2027 start date for restrictions on the expansion of existing for-profit children’s homes and fostering services.
- [Research for Casey Commission puts adult care accountability in focus](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/casey-commission-governance-research-november-2026/): Research published by the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care on 11 November 2026 identifies fragmented responsibility as a central problem in England’s care system.
- [England plans neighbourhood home care commissioning to cut travel and improve continuity](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/england-neighbourhood-home-care-commissioning-november-2026/): Councils in England will be encouraged to arrange home care within smaller neighbourhoods, with one or two main providers serving each area, under plans announced by the Department of Health and Social Care on 12 November 2026.
- [Wales plans trauma-informed safeguarding update for late 2027](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/wales-safeguarding-trauma-review-residential-childcare/): Social Care Wales and ACE Hub Wales will review safeguarding standards, training and the national learning framework through a trauma and adverse childhood experiences lens, Social Care Wales announced on 9 November 2026.
- [Wales opens commissioning consultation with fees and fair work in focus](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/wales-commissioning-code-consultation-february-2027/): Welsh care providers have until 1 February 2027 to respond to proposed revisions to the National Framework for Commissioning Care and Support.
- [Foxland Grange rated Outstanding as CQC highlights continuity and staff development](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/foxland-grange-outstanding-cqc-november-2026/): Foxland Grange in Wolverhampton has been rated Outstanding overall in a Care Quality Commission assessment report published on 10 November 2026.
- [How Welsh providers can use September’s adult care capacity data](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/wales-adult-social-care-capacity-september-2026/): The Welsh Government published its September 2026 social services capacity update on 5 November.
- [What England’s children’s social care data model says about residential costs](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/dfe-childrens-social-care-data-model-residential-unit-costs/): The Department for Education updated its children’s social care improvement and intervention data model guidance on 6 November 2026.
- [How adult care managers can teach digital skills on shift](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/digital-skills-adult-care-shift-practice/): A new care app can be straightforward to use in training and still cause problems on a busy shift.
- [Care equity panel will examine where access to support breaks down](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/ncasc-care-equity-panel-november-2026/): The Social Care Institute for Excellence and Think Local Act Personal will discuss barriers to fair access to care at the National Children and Adult Services Conference on Friday 13 November 2026.
- [Ofsted sets out how it will fine unregistered children’s social care providers](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/ofsted-unregistered-childrens-social-care-penalties-policy/): Ofsted’s monetary penalties policy, published on 23 October 2026, explains how the regulator in England decides whether to fine a person or organisation for carrying on or managing provision that requires registration.
- [How home care teams can test their winter visit cover](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/winter-home-care-route-cover-cold-weather/): A home care rota can look fully staffed until cold weather makes one route difficult to reach.
- [Turning monthly children’s home visits into completed improvements](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/childrens-homes-regulation-44-visits-action-follow-up/): England’s children’s homes receive monthly independent visits under regulation 44. A clear trail from findings to action helps managers see what has changed for children.
- [Fair Pay Agreement briefings begin on 9 November](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/fair-pay-agreement-provider-briefings-november-2026/): The Local Government Association is running introductory sessions for adult social care employers. The first listed webinar is on Monday 9 November, from noon to 1pm.
- [Moving Up opens registrations for Black and Asian care leaders](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/moving-up-black-asian-care-leaders-january-2027/): Skills for Care’s next Moving Up programme starts on 13 January 2027. Employers can help participants turn leadership learning into a supported workplace development plan.
- [Lincolnshire’s adult care rating rises to Good after evidence review](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/lincolnshire-adult-care-rating-evidence-review-november-2026/): Lincolnshire says further evidence led CQC to revise its adult care assessment score from 62% to 64%. The case offers a prompt to review how services keep evidence clear and traceable.
- [What children’s home managers can expect during an Ofsted inspection](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/ofsted-inspection-conduct-childrens-homes-2026/): Ofsted’s code of conduct sets expectations for inspectors and providers in England. A short team briefing can help managers plan access, staff support and a route for raising concerns.
- [Digital inclusion in care starts with access, confidence and choice](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/digital-inclusion-care-november-2026-access-choice/): Digital Care Hub’s November campaign asks who benefits when care moves online. Providers can use one everyday task to identify practical barriers for staff and people receiving support.
- [Scotland reports 120 hires through its displaced care worker scheme](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/scotland-displaced-care-workers-scheme-first-results-2026/): New Scottish Government figures describe the scheme’s first phase and estimate the monthly care capacity it added. The published workbook gives conflicting figures for spending.
- [England’s adult care survey asks how much social contact people want](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/adult-social-care-survey-social-contact-england-2026/): The latest survey for England found that 46% reported having the social contact they wanted. Care teams can use the finding to revisit how they support relationships in everyday practice.
- [Wales’s first children’s placement plans are due in December](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/wales-childrens-placement-sufficiency-plans-december-2026/): Welsh councils have until 1 December 2026 to send their first draft sufficiency plans to ministers. Residential providers can help commissioners understand where places will meet children’s needs.
- [Could your team work through a digital care record outage?](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/digital-care-records-outage-continuity-exercise/): A short, planned exercise can reveal gaps in a care service’s arrangements for losing access to digital records. This practice briefing sets out questions to test with staff and suppliers.
- [Free Care Workforce Pathway support opens for England’s providers](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/care-workforce-pathway-free-support-january-2027/): Applications close on 5 January 2027 for a fully funded programme helping eligible adult social care providers put the Care Workforce Pathway into practice.
- [Ofsted’s children’s survey puts listening and follow-through in focus](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/ofsted-2026-children-feedback-listening-follow-through/): Ofsted’s latest survey for England highlights differences in children’s experiences of being heard. Managers can use the findings to review how feedback leads to action.
- [Where hospital-to-social-care transfers get held up](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/hospital-discharge-social-care-transfer-cqc-2026/): CQC’s State of Care report identifies transfers between hospitals and social care as one source of delay in England. Providers can use the finding to review where referrals stall locally.
- [Five conditions linked to lower care worker turnover](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/adult-social-care-retention-review-skills-for-care-2026/): Skills for Care’s workforce analysis links a combination of job security, pay and development factors with better retention in England. Managers can use the findings to test what is happening in their own teams.
- [Children’s homes grew by 20%. What does that mean for placement capacity?](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/england-childrens-homes-growth-ofsted-2026/): Ofsted’s updated figures show that the number of children’s homes in England rose faster than registered places. Here is what managers and commissioners can take from the gap.
- [Building an editorial agenda for Care Unpacked: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/building-an-editorial-agenda-for-care-unpacked-questions-for-the-team/): An invitation to help shape the publication’s future conversations, coverage and practical resources.
- [Building an editorial agenda for Care Unpacked](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/building-an-editorial-agenda-for-care-unpacked/): An invitation to help shape the publication’s future conversations, coverage and practical resources.
- [A more useful conversation with equipment suppliers: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/a-more-useful-conversation-with-equipment-suppliers-questions-for-the-team/): Questions to organise a supplier discussion without treating a product brochure as a recommendation.
- [A more useful conversation with equipment suppliers](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/a-more-useful-conversation-with-equipment-suppliers/): Questions to organise a supplier discussion without treating a product brochure as a recommendation.
- [People before platforms: starting a technology conversation: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/people-before-platforms-starting-a-technology-conversation-questions-for-the-team/): A guide to defining the task, understanding users and asking suppliers clearer questions.
- [People before platforms: starting a technology conversation](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/people-before-platforms-starting-a-technology-conversation/): A guide to defining the task, understanding users and asking suppliers clearer questions.
- [Turning learning into a useful team discussion: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/turning-learning-into-a-useful-team-discussion-questions-for-the-team/): An editorial outline for connecting learning questions to everyday practice and future development.
- [Turning learning into a useful team discussion](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/turning-learning-into-a-useful-team-discussion/): An editorial outline for connecting learning questions to everyday practice and future development.
- [The questions worth asking before a career move: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/the-questions-worth-asking-before-a-career-move-questions-for-the-team/): A feature on understanding a role, its working arrangements and the support available before applying.
- [The questions worth asking before a career move](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/the-questions-worth-asking-before-a-career-move/): A feature on understanding a role, its working arrangements and the support available before applying.
- [A clearer agenda for the next team meeting: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/a-clearer-agenda-for-the-next-team-meeting-questions-for-the-team/): Practical editorial prompts for a meeting that gives people time to prepare, contribute and follow through.
- [A clearer agenda for the next team meeting](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/a-clearer-agenda-for-the-next-team-meeting/): Practical editorial prompts for a meeting that gives people time to prepare, contribute and follow through.
- [What makes a welcoming children’s home?: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/what-makes-a-welcoming-childrens-home-questions-for-the-team/): An editorial starting point for thinking about belonging, everyday routines and the experience of arriving somewhere new.
- [What makes a welcoming children’s home?](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/what-makes-a-welcoming-childrens-home/): An editorial starting point for thinking about belonging, everyday routines and the experience of arriving somewhere new.
- [Making space for reflective team conversations: questions for the team](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/making-space-for-reflective-team-conversations-questions-for-the-team/): A structured starting point for exploring what worked, what felt difficult and what a team could try next.
- [Making space for reflective team conversations](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/making-space-for-reflective-team-conversations/): A structured starting point for exploring what worked, what felt difficult and what a team could try next.
- [Start here: explore Care Unpacked](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/start-here-care-unpacked/): Find care-sector topics, practical resources and ways to contribute to Care Unpacked.
- [Planning an advertising enquiry with Care Unpacked](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/planning-an-advertising-enquiry-with-care-unpacked/): What to include in an advertising enquiry, how creative sizes work and what happens before a campaign can be confirmed.
- [How to suggest a story to Care Unpacked](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/how-to-suggest-a-story-to-care-unpacked/): Share a useful question, practical perspective or editorial idea while keeping private information protected.
- [Welcome to Care Unpacked](https://mediumseagreen-wildcat-654372.hostingersite.com/welcome-to-care-unpacked/): A new space for the people, practice and ideas shaping UK care. Here is where our publication begins.

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