Imosphere

27/08/2026

Resource Allocation Systems haven't always had the best reputation in adult social care - and some of that criticism has been earned.

Overengineered models. Indicative budgets treated as limits. Practitioners left fighting to justify support they already know is right.

But that's not what a good RAS should do.

Done well, it provides a reliable starting point for a different conversation: not what services fit within this budget?, but what would genuinely help this person achieve the outcomes that matter to them?

And applied consistently, the benefits go further - reducing friction around approvals, supporting better direct payment conversations, helping manage spend and building a clearer picture of need across a council's population.

In Part 2 of our Good in Practice series, we explore what separates a good RAS from a bad one - and why an indicative budget should be a guardrail, not a limit.

Read: What makes a good RAS?
https://www.imosphere.com/post/what-makes-a-good-ras

In Part 2 of our 'Good in Practice' series, we explore what separates a good RAS from a bad one - and why an indicative budget should be a guardrail, not a limit.

20/08/2026

Faster assessment times in adult social care look positive. So does higher direct payment uptake, greater independence, or a positive CQC assessment.

But do they add up to a consistently good service?

Join our upcoming webinar as we look beyond individual measures and explore:

• Where the numbers agree - and what that can tell you about good practice
• Where they don't - and what might be happening beneath the surface
• What other councils are seeing through real examples and national benchmarking
• What you can take back to support improvement conversations in your own authority

Reserve your place: 474cf06c-d62f-46a8-82b9-9fc66afccdfb@847c480d-eb3a-45fc-b432-e747441e2dc6" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/474cf06c-d62f-46a8-82b9-9fc66afccdfb@847c480d-eb3a-45fc-b432-e747441e2dc6

19/08/2026

A huge congratulations to the team members from our customers Sunderland City Council, London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, Rochdale Borough Council & West Sussex County Council who have been named as finalists in this year’s Social Worker of the Year Awards!

What a fantastic achievement and a brilliant recognition of the impact social workers are making every day.

Congratulations to all the nominees, and best of luck for the awards!

Judges select 64 finalists across 14 categories for the 20th anniversary of the Social Worker of the Year Awards

14/08/2026

In adult social care, it's easy to think about assessments as the process that happens before support begins. In reality, they're often where support begins.

A good assessment can help someone understand their situation, explore strengths and aspirations, recognise the support around them, and shape better decisions from the very first conversation.

In the first article of our new Good in Practice series, we explore what makes a genuinely good Care Act assessment – drawing on practice experience, Care Act principles and recent CQC findings.

If you're interested in improving quality, consistency and person-centred practice, this will likely resonate with you.

Read part 1 here: https://www.imosphere.com/post/what-makes-a-good-care-act-assessment

In the first article of our new Good in Practice series, we explore what makes a genuinely good Care Act assessment – drawing on practice experience, Care Act principles, and recent CQC findings.

13/08/2026

Preparing for Adulthood is often talked about as a transition activity.

But what if we've been thinking about it the wrong way?

Some of the strongest local authorities are beginning to embed Preparing for Adulthood much earlier - making it part of everyday EHCP planning, annual reviews, and practitioner conversations, rather than something that starts in Year 9.

In our latest article, we explore why this shift matters and pose a number of questions many SEND teams are currently grappling with:

• When should Preparing for Adulthood conversations really begin?
• How do we embed it consistently across every EHCP?
• What does good practice actually look like?
• How do leaders know whether it's happening consistently across their service?

If these are questions your authority is exploring, you'll find the full article useful: https://www.imosphere.com/post/preparing-for-adulthood-starts-long-before-transition

Why the strongest local authorities are embedding Preparing for Adulthood throughout the EHCP journey.

12/08/2026

The ADASS Spring Survey 2026 is out - and the picture has sharpened, not improved.

A few numbers worth sitting with:

• Prevention spending is down to just 5% of adult social care budgets - the lowest since ADASS began tracking it

• Double-handed care among over-65s has jumped from 13.6% to 20.3% in a single year

• Confidence in commissioning residential care for working-age adults has fallen from 35% to 27% looking three years ahead

None of this reflects a lack of commitment or evidence. It reflects how hard it is to connect demand, complexity, prevention, commissioning and cost into a clear view of where to act first.

We've written about what this means for adult social care leaders trying to turn fragmented information into confident decisions.

Read it here: www.imosphere.com/post/the-adass-spring-survey-2026-the-picture-has-sharpened-not-improved

06/08/2026

In honour of , the team took a Wellbeing Hour in July. Some highlights include peaceful walks and plant shopping! 🪴🐕 🏞️

04/08/2026

We all recognise good practice when we see it. But understanding whether it’s happening consistently across a service is harder.

A positive CQC assessment, faster assessments, more people living independently, higher direct payment uptake – each tells part of the story. But no single measure shows the full picture of performance.

Join us for a practical webinar exploring what good really looks like in adult social care, using real council examples, lived experience, and national benchmarking.

You’ll discover:

- Real examples from councils across the country showing how strong practice, outcomes, and performance fit together.

- A fresh perspective on what defines a genuinely good adult social care service.

- Practical ways to interpret the evidence you already have, rather than relying on individual measures in isolation.

- Practical ideas you can take back to your own authority to support improvement conversations and identify opportunities for change.

Register here: 474cf06c-d62f-46a8-82b9-9fc66afccdfb@847c480d-eb3a-45fc-b432-e747441e2dc6" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/474cf06c-d62f-46a8-82b9-9fc66afccdfb@847c480d-eb3a-45fc-b432-e747441e2dc6

We hope you can join us!

04/08/2026

As the SEND reform conversation continues, Individual Support Plans (ISPs) are becoming an increasingly important area of discussion.

While many aspects of the proposals are still evolving, they already raise important practical considerations for schools and local authorities. Understanding how new approaches could work in practice will be just as important as understanding the policy itself.

We've created a dedicated landing page exploring Individual Support Plans, including:

• What ISPs are and how they differ from EHCPs.

• The practical considerations for schools and local authorities.

• How organisations can begin preparing while national policy continues to evolve.

• The role technology and AI could play in supporting future ways of working.

As the proposals develop, we'll continue updating the page with further insights and practical guidance.

Explore the page here: https://www.imosphere.com/send/isp

What could Individual Support Plans mean for schools and local authorities?

23/07/2026

Baroness Casey's message at the recent LGA Conference has rightly sparked an important conversation about the future of adult social care.

But alongside asking what needs to change, we think there's another question worth asking.

What should we make sure we don't lose?

Working alongside councils for more than 35 years, we've seen examples of outstanding practice happening every day. Strengths-based Care Act assessments. Transparent, defensible funding decisions. Early intervention that's genuinely reducing demand.

The challenge isn't that good practice doesn't exist, it’s that too often, it stays local.

As part of Baroness Casey's Big Conversation, we've shared our perspective on why making good practice more visible, shared, and repeatable across councils should be part of the national conversation too.

It's also the first in a new insight series exploring what high-performing adult social care looks like in practice, drawing on real examples, benchmarking, and learning from our growing Community Practice Network.

You can read the article here: https://www.imosphere.com/post/contributing-to-baroness-caseys-big-conversation

Why sharing what already works should be part of the national conversation.