One of the encouraging developments of the last few years has been the increased prevalence of a strengths-based approach to social care. That is, an approach that sees individuals – not just as a set of needs or deficits to be met by the service provider, but which recognises the strengths and capacities that people have, – as individuals and as part of a community, and which works collaboratively to build on those strengths to achieve positive outcomes.

The 2014 Care Act places a duty on local authorities to ‘consider the person’s own strengths and capabilities, and what support might be available from their wider support network or within the community to help’ when planning care, and there have been fantastic examples of this approach in Greater Manchester, Leeds and many other places.