Fair Care

Fair Care

In 2000, the United Kingdom spent an estimated £12.9 billion on social care. As the population ages over the coming years, so the amount spent in real terms on care is projected to quadruple to £53.9 billion by 2050

It’s pretty much common knowledge, that most local authorities have outsourced domiciliary care work to agencies, handing over responsibility for services, with contracts of employment, that in reality are paying well below the national minimum wage.

Care Workers are only paid for the time they spend in each ‘client’s’ home, travelling between homes, is not considered to be working!

If a ‘client’ is sick, has an accident, or the tasks cannot be completed by the worker in the time allotted, then the worker, in effect becomes a volunteer, who gives their time, out of love and compassion, for the person in need of their care.

Are we moving into a future where other community workers will only be paid for the time spent in their ‘clients’ homes? District nurses? Social workers?

The current state of our Public Services, is surely a warning that anything is possible, as we as a society, have accepted, increasingly in-human attitudes towards our most vulnerable members.

“The growing social care crisis is one of the biggest challenges that society will have to face in the years ahead. Failure to meet this challenge, risks unacceptable impacts on the quality of life of millions of older and vulnerable people, with increasing pressure on an already overburdened NHS.”

“There needs to be significant change in the way social care is funded and a real breaking down of the barriers between health and social care.”

“There is also a need to be honest about the quality of some of the care that is currently provided and the poor working conditions and poverty pay experienced by those that work in the social care sector.”

“It is frankly a disgrace that such important work is being undertaken by some of the most poorly paid and poorly treated workers in our country.”

(quoted from: A Co-operative Agenda for Health and Social Care)

Below, for further debate and delivery, is our solution to the scandal, that is the Care Industry, in the UK

The Three C’s Of Fair Care

Concept

The Fair Care concept was developed by Change Agents, following many deliberative events and conversations, with Older People and partner organisations, within and outside of, the Co-operative Commonwealth, with the intention of exploring a just and fair co-operative solution to care provision across the UK.

Fair Care means Fair for all the people engaged in the business of giving and receiving Care including workers, informal carers and importantly the people traditionally labeled ‘service users’.

Fair Care achieves this by developing clusters of micro-co-operative enterprises, of mutual owners, to deliver care, supported by secondary co-ops, for legal and administrative functions.

Fair Care co-ops maintain or develop, a persons Circle of Support: the group of family, friends, neighbours and supportive workers who come together to give and receive, care and support.
Circles are an established and successful way of achieving person centred support.
The things that a Fair Care co-op will help with, will depend on a person’s situation and circumstances, together with the mutual agreement of the other co-op members.
It is this ‘circle’, of mutual care and support, within the co-op, that enables all the members (paid and unpaid) to have their needs met and to achieve their aspirations.
Fair Care is based on the best elements of the Fair Trade model. All care provided within a Fair Care co-op, must be ‘relational’ delivered on a human scale, co-produced, co-delivered and co-owned!

The intention is to ensure ‘dignity in care’ with ‘social and economic justice’ for both the carer and the cared for, whether paid or unpaid, based on the identity, values and principles of co-operation.

Campaign
As part of the strategic intentions of Change Agents, we are promoting the concept of Fair Care with the public, politicians, policy makers, commissioners and any other decision makers or people of influence, who can help us to increase opportunities for people to develop and become members of, their own Fair Care co-ops.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure a wide an engagement as possible, particularly with people from seldom heard, socially and/or financially excluded communities. We are particularly keen to help set up Fair Care co-ops with people and communities who are not currently active within the co-operative commonwealth.

Care Co-operatives

In Fair Care co-ops, the boundaries between member owners are porous, the assumption being that all members of the co-operative give and receive mutual support, in order to attain their individual and collective aspirations.

We are looking for partners from communities, who would like to develop and be members of Fair Care co-operatives around the UK.

We believe the best care co-ops are comprised of three types of member owners:

People seeking care, who want to have ownership and control of their own care, in a mutual setting, where they also share responsibility, for the wellbeing of all other members of the co-op, including workers and unpaid carers.

People wanting to work in a co-operative that ensures worker rights, while enabling and supporting, the wellbeing and aspirations, of all other member/co-owners.

Friends, family and unpaid carers, who would like to be co-owners and members, with their loved ones and care workers of a co-operative that respects and sustains their relationships.

If you’re interested in Fair Care and would like to know more, email cheryl@changeagents.coop