Principles met

  • We will explore ways for councils to act as a platform for helping the community to contribute to local outcomes, and to re-think the role of councillors as community connectors, brokers and leaders.
  • We will promote community-based approaches to economic development that focus on supporting the creation of jobs, social enterprises and other businesses and providing an environment for co-operative and mutual enterprises to thrive.
  • We will capture and ‘expand’ the experience and learning from individual projects and approaches in order to encourage broader application of co-operative principles within individual member Councils and across the Network.
  • In exploring new ways of meeting the priority needs of our communities we will encourage models, such as co-operatives and mutuals, which give greater influence and voice to staff and users. in designing and commissioning public services and in determining the use of public resources.

Cheshire West and Chester Council established a Commission on the Future of Adult Social Care in 2021 to consider ‘What does a good life look like for you and your family and how can we work together to achieve it?’

The Commission brought together eight commissioners to hear from local people who draw on social care and other experts to understand the issues and opportunities facing social care. The commissioners were made up of six elected councillors along with a leader from both the NHS and from the community and voluntary sector. 

Adult Social Care is fundamentally about people, as was this Commission.  Every meeting of the Commission started by hearing the experience of someone who draws on social care. People spoke about the practical difference that the services they draw on makes to their lives, the financial and practical support from family that allows them to live and not just survive and the range of temporary services that need to be accessible quickly to prevent people from falling into crisis. 

The Commission worked in clear, open and accessible way.  All Commission meetings were held in public and all evidence that the Commission considered, its notes, final report and videos of its meetings are available at Commission on the future of Adult Social Care | Cheshire West and Chester Council

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