A relational (re)view of the UK's social care crisis

It has become commonplace to say that there is a crisis in Adult Social Care in the UK. This comment reflects on empirical and conceptual work on care, and feminist perspectives on re-valuing care, to make the case for a fundamental re-appraisal of how we resource and regulate adult social care. The problems generated by the uneven implementation of contemporary legal frameworks and the chronic underfunding of social care are explored, to demonstrate how regulatory, governmental and policy choices shape the everyday experience of delivering and receiving formal care services. Once these relational connections between regulation and everyday life are exposed, the need for a different, fairer and more just approach to care regulation becomes clear.