Why We Care: Easy Read of the report

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The Why We Care report

A young woman with Down syndrome stands in front of a care team next to a map of England

There are 140,000 adults aged from 18 - 65 with a learning disability in England who need extra support from social care workers with their everyday life.

Support workers and social care workers helping with managing money, getting dressed, washing and going out in the community

Social care workers help people with things like getting washed and dressed, managing money, keeping healthy, going out into the community and much more depending on a person's needs.

A woman in a wheelchair has her hands raised smiling

They make a big difference to the lives of people with a learning disability and their families, helping them to make friends, get a job or volunteer role, and live their best lives.

The houses of parliament and a sack of money with an arrow going to a council building with people outside

The money to pay for social care comes from both the UK government and councils.

A council building with people standing outside it and a sack of money beside an arrow pointing to social care workers

Councils can then give money to charities or organisations to give social care support to people with a learning disability who need it.

A woman is holding her purse upside down looking for money but there is no money left

But social care is not getting enough money.

A wage packet with money

Social care workers need lots of skills to do their job but they do not get paid enough to show this.

A group of NHS health workers and a hand with lots of money in it, next to a group of social care workers with a small handful of money

People who do similar jobs in the NHS get paid more than people working in social care, which we think is unfair.

Two men walking in opposite directions waving goodbye to each other

Lots of social care workers are leaving their jobs to work in the NHS and other places like supermarkets because they pay more.

Money and food

Lots of people who are leaving their jobs in social care don't want to, but they are struggling to pay for the cost of living.

A support worker giving a man in a wheelchair a drink with a red cross over him.

This means there are not enough social care workers to meet everyone's needs.

Three people waiting with a clock behind them

Without enough social care workers, people with a learning disability will have to wait longer to get support or might lose some of the care they get.

An accessible survey question asking people to tell us what they think

We asked social care workers at Mencap some questions.

Left to right: A man in a suit, waving. A woman in a denim jacket. A woman in a red cardigan, with her arms round a girl in a pink top. A man in a wheelchair.

366 people answered our questions.

A woman holding up a clipboard with a green tick on it. Her other hand is raised with her thumbs up

They told us they liked their job, and it made them feel good to help people with a learning disability have a good quality of life.

A man looking sad and unhappy

But many told us they were finding things hard because of low pay and don't feel the government values the work they do or the skills they have.

A group of people holding up signs for change and another person is shouting through a megaphone

We want this to change, so we have started the Why We Care campaign.

A map of the UK with people standing around it showing their plans for change. In the middle is a voting booth, a ballot paper and a ballot box

There will probably be a general election this year.

A picture of the Houses of Parliament next to three large sacks of money

We want all political parties to promise to:

  • give social care more money so that social care workers can be paid more.
Two peoples hands shaking each other under a picture of the Houses of Parliament
  • make a plan that will make sure there are enough social care workers so that everyone who needs social care can get it.
A woman with a thought bubble with a green tick and red cross inside it

Do you agree that social care workers should get better pay for what they do?

A hand holding a pen writes a signature along a line

If you agree, sign our petition to show your support for social care workers.

A man shakes a woman's hand and says 'thank you'

Thank you for making a positive difference.

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This Easy Read was first published 27/02/2024.

This Easy Read is part of the Why We Care campaign pages.

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