The social contract for care is breaking down. Burnham has a chance to rebuild it
4 min read
There are few better places to begin rebuilding trust in government than social care.
Andy Burnham has made an unusually personal – and politically risky – promise.
He said he was prepared to spend political capital sorting out social care. After decades of shelved commitments and broken promises, his pledge has prompted cautious optimism among campaigners, social care professionals on the frontlines and, most importantly, those currently struggling to access care.
Actions will matter more than words, but the evidence so far indicates a recognition in the new administration that social care is about much more than one struggling public service. It is one of the places where Britain's relationship between citizen and state is tested most sharply.
Political capital may be needed to reform social care, but getting it right would also help rebuild trust between citizens and the state.
That's because an expectation gap sits at the heart of social care in Britain.
That gap between expectation and reality is also at the heart of new research from Demos, carried out in partnership with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Analysing thousands of conversations in online support spaces, we found that people are describing not only a lack of funding, but a growing sense that the system no longer works with them or for them.
One person reflected that after caring for their mother "all day, every day", Carer's Allowance amounted to less than 50p an hour. Others spoke about having to contact their MP to ensure a family member received at-home care. These stories paint a picture of a system that too often leaves people feeling unsupported, undervalued and alone.
For years, the debate about social care has centred on funding. But our research suggests that the breakdown of trust in institutions also matters deeply. Every confusing assessment, every bureaucratic hurdle and every family left wondering why help never arrived, chips away at people's confidence that the government can or will deliver on its promises when people need support the most. Over time, these experiences contribute to wider disengagement and a growing sense that meaningful change is beyond the reach of politics.
That is why we’ve seen Baroness Casey, one year into her review of the social care system, raise the need for a new social contract for care. It’s become one of the clearest examples of a wider problem facing British politics. Too often, citizens' expectations of the state and their lived experience are drifting further apart.
Burnham knows the system well. As health secretary under Gordon Brown, he attempted to establish a National Care Service. Before the Makerfield byelection, he argued that the Casey Review should move faster because reform cannot wait for another Parliament – a change he’s now pushed through. Those instincts have become one of the defining commitments of his new premiership.
No PM will solve social care in 100 days. But the first few months of a government matter because they establish priorities. A commitment to either reforming means testing, implementing a comprehensive Fair Pay Agreement for care workers, or reviewing Carer's Allowance would help continue pushing the social care reform agenda forward.
Our research shows that this is about more than repairing a failing service: it’s about repairing trust. At Demos, we have argued that Britain needs a New Deal between citizen and state, one built on respect and institutions that people believe are on their side. Social care is where that challenge becomes deeply personal. When people reach the moment in their lives when they most need public support, they should not leave believing the system treated them with suspicion or indifference.
Burnham has made social care one of the first major political tests of his premiership. There are few better places to begin rebuilding trust in government. If the new administration cannot rebuild trust at the moments that matter most in people's lives, it will struggle to earn public confidence for its biggest ambitions.
Lucy Bush is Director of Research and Participation at Demos
