ADASS Spring Seminar – Leading Adult Social Care through change

The 2026 ADASS Spring Seminar wrapped up last week, marking a change in leadership and a useful checkpoint on where adult social care is heading. Across three days of keynotes, panels and corridor conversations, several clear themes emerged, alongside a shared recognition of both the opportunities and challenges ahead. 
 
The conference opened with outgoing President Jess McGregor welcoming adult social care leaders and people who draw on care and support from across the country. The opening plenary brought together Professor Geoff Mulgan, Tom Loosemore (founder of Public Digital), and Nana Bonsu from Camden’s children’s services to discuss public value decision-making, the role of AI in practice, and lessons from relational approaches to public services. It set a strong tone for the seminar: less about technology as a silver bullet, and more about what sits around it that determines whether it actually drives meaningful change. From a recruitment perspective, that point came up repeatedly throughout the seminar. Councils are not just looking for technical expertise or transformation experience in isolation; they are looking for leaders who can bring people with them, build trust across systems, and deliver change in a way that still feels human. 
 
The handover from Jess McGregor to new President Phil Holmes was the centrepiece of day two. Jess concludes her presidency having set a clear direction, with her “to love is to act” mantra helping to shift co-production from a well-used phrase into more tangible practice. Under her leadership, the Time to Act roadmap gained real momentum, a National Workforce Strategy was established, and the foundations of a Fair Pay Agreement were laid. From a recruitment perspective, these developments are significant. The sector cannot address ongoing workforce pressures without also addressing how people are paid, valued and developed, and Jess’s tenure has helped move those issues higher up the agenda. 
 
Phil’s inaugural speech was a standout moment. It was sharp, and refreshingly honest about the sector’s instinct to “crouch” and wait for the Casey Review, the next funding settlement, or the next piece of guidance from Whitehall. His message was the opposite: stop waiting and use whatever privilege and platform exists to make care work better for people now. 
 
He spoke about quiet competence over culture wars, and the importance of keeping everyone who draws on care “in the tent”, not just those whose circumstances happen to attract the most attention. He was also notably direct about the co-production agenda, framing it not only as good ethics but as effective design: a way of starting differently and avoiding the poor experience and inefficiency that more top-down approaches have repeatedly produced. 
 
That sense of urgency is also being reflected in the interim market. Authorities are increasingly looking for leaders who can step into uncertainty, provide stability quickly, and keep services moving while wider reform and reorganisation continues around them. 
 
The Casey Review hung over many of the conversations. There is a clear tension between the desire for clarity from above and the recognition that the sector cannot afford to pause. Phil was explicit that Baroness Casey is not expecting the sector to stand still and wait, but to continue delivering the best version of adult social care available now, while reform takes its course. 
 
One of the most quietly affecting sessions from day two was the discussion on end-of-life care, “Bringing life to years, not years to life.” Rick Nelms, a service user at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, described what good care feels like in a way that no policy paper really can. His carers, he explained, often go beyond formal expectations, sometimes working long hours out of genuine commitment and compassion. It was a powerful reminder of what good care looks like in practice. It should not still feel remarkable, but often it does. 
 
The conference closed on day three with a powerful and at times challenging talk from Professor Tom Shakespeare on inclusion, and what it genuinely means for disabled people. The session, opened by Melanie Williams, also included a contribution from David Gower, a 91-year-old local resident featured in the Care Can’t Wait campaign, who spoke to the realities of navigating care and support in later life. It was a fitting conclusion, with Vice President Rashpal Bishop closing the seminar on a note that brought the focus back to the people the sector exists to serve, rather than leaving them as an afterthought. 
 
Looking ahead, several pressures remain unresolved. Funding reform continues to loom large, while Local Government Reorganisation is moving quickly and risks distracting from day-to-day delivery for those who rely on care. Alongside this, there is a growing but still unsettled question around the role of AI and wider technology in social care: how it can support practice, free up frontline capacity, and improve systems like rostering and assessment, without eroding the human relationships that sit at the heart of care. 
 
Taken together, the seminar reflected a sector under pressure but not standing still, and increasingly, a leadership landscape where adaptability, values-led decision-making, and the ability to deliver in uncertainty are becoming as important as technical expertise.