Burnham vows adult social care overhaul while sidelining disabled children

At the Labour Party conference, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a landmark policy to create a free, person-centred adult social care service that begins at home, citing gratitude to his late father’s carers and Baroness Louise Casey’s system review. He positioned his approach against Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Green Party leader Zack Polanski, who have dismissed care workers. However, Burnham explicitly excluded disabled children from his proposals, saying the plan is for “adult and particularly older people’s social care,” a comment that upset families and experts.

The piece underscores that the fastest-growing demand for care now comes from working-age adults, while councils spend £353 million annually on placing vulnerable children in inadequate homes, often built by private firms in low-cost areas. It cites the case of Sam, a neurodivergent Manchester youth whose care placements have been unsafe and unsuitable, illustrating systemic failures that affect both children and adults. The article argues that without broader reforms, the care crisis will continue to burden families, taxpayers, and the wider society.