Care workers to be represented in Fair Pay Agreements

16 Jul 2026 12:00 PM

New negotiating body to be set up as part of the first ever adult social care Fair Pay Agreement, representing millions of care workers

• Made up of trade unions and employers, the body will negotiate on pay, terms and conditions and wider employment matters, giving care workers a voice 
• The first ever Fair Pay Agreement for care workers is backed by £500 million, part of the Government’s landmark Employment Rights Act 
• Expansion of the Care Workforce Pathway, the first ever universal career structure for carers, including nearly all adult social care roles that are not health or social work 

Millions of care workers in England will be represented in upcoming negotiations on pay and working conditions through a new body established to deliver the first ever Fair Pay Agreement for adult social care. 

The new Adult Social Care Negotiating Body will be set up by the end of the year, bringing together trade unions and employers to negotiate on behalf of the sector.

Through the Body, care providers and workers will have voting rights on key issues including pay, terms and conditions, and wider employment matters through a regular negotiation process.  

The Body will also have an independent chair to oversee the negotiations between employer and worker representatives, who will be appointed in early 2027. 

The first ever adult social care Fair Pay Agreement is a landmark reform that will turn the page on decades of low pay and insecurity for the 1.5 million people working in the sector. 

It is backed by £500 million for the first agreement in 2028-29, boosting domestic recruitment and retention of carers while growing the economy, raising living standards and creating opportunities for all.  

Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said: 

Our 1.5 million compassionate, dedicated and hard-working carers deliver a vital service – making people’s lives better, giving them dignity, joy and independence. 

For too long this workforce - equal in size to our NHS - has been overlooked and forgotten, with care workers exploited by low pay and poor working conditions. 

This government is turning a page. We are giving care workers a voice and a fair deal, we are giving them better rights, proper training and opportunities for progression – and bolstering the workforce while making caring a more attractive career.

Oonagh Smyth, CEO, Skills for Care, said: 

The 1.5 million adult social care workers deserve rewards that support recruitment and career progression. The Fair Pay Agreement is a crucial step toward improving care roles and securing skilled staffing.

To succeed, this process must be backed by reliable data to support the UK’s 19,000 care providers. Aligning the Fair Pay Agreement with the newly expanded Care Workforce Pathway roles will directly link fair pay to career development. Together, they make adult social care a rewarding, structured profession.

The first round of negotiations will commence in April 2027, and the first settlement will be introduced by April 2028. 

Alongside the Fair Pay Agreement, the government continues to build on the first ever universal career structure in adult social care and professionalise the workforce, by introducing part 3 of the Care Workforce Pathway, including 10 new role categories such as care technologists and activity co-ordinators.

The pathway sets out clear roles, responsibilities and development opportunities, showing people how they can move into more specialist or leadership positions. It also now includes all adult social care roles – even those that are not health or social work, such as catering or maintenance positions.

The changes are part of the government’s mission to create a National Care Service and follows over £4.6 billion additional funding that has been made available for adult social care in 2028-29.

The government has increased the Carer’s Allowance by £2,750 for unpaid carers, the largest increase since the 1970s, and this week launched the first ever Unpaid Carers Action Plan setting out commitments to recognise carers earlier, refer them to the right services and help them reach their potential in education or employment while caring.

To support tens of thousands of people with disabilities, the government has provided £723 million to adapt their homes to their needs, at the same time as increasing the Minimum Income Guarantee so 150,000 people with disabilities get £400 back in their pockets to help with the cost of living.

Baroness Casey has made early recommendations which the government is progressing swiftly including:

• Establishing a new National Safeguarding Board, chaired by the Chief Social Worker which will focus on the protection on vulnerable adults and safe and effective services, alongside an urgent review of adult safeguarding statutory duties and powers.
• Creating a new dementia leadership role to drive forward action, alongside our Dementia and Frailty Modern Service Framework, and accelerate work to transform dementia care and research.
• Making sure those affected by motor neurone disease have rapid access to the care and support they need by creating a fast-track process and speed up assessments.

The Commission’s phase 1 recommendations for delivering a National Care Service will be published later this year, setting out the next steps for a system that is sustainable, joined-up and works better for those who rely on it.

Paul Nowak, General Secretary, TUC said:

For too long care workers have been undervalued and underpaid for their vital work. Social care has become synonymous with low pay and insecure work.

That’s why the Fair Pay Agreement is so important. It will help lift the floor of pay and conditions in the sector and put it on a more stable footing for the future – ensuring better care for all our loved ones.

In years ahead, continued and increased funding will be essential to ensure the urgent workforce challenges in social care can be meaningfully addressed.

The TUC stands ready to support negotiations to ensure the Fair Pay Agreement is a success and delivers for care workers and the sector as a whole.

Gavin Edwards, Head of social care, UNISON said: 

The government’s moving in the right direction towards a fair pay agreement. Significant extra funding will still be needed to meet the urgent workforce challenges in social care.

Care staff do skilled work which deserves pay and conditions that match other public services. National collective bargaining is essential in delivering this reform. 

An enforcement body is also vital in a sector with an appalling record on workplace wellbeing and practices.

Union representation for staff is another major step forward in adult social care, which has long been anti-union.

 Natalie Grayson, GMB National Officer, said:

The Fair Pay Agreement is a fantastic first step towards our carers being rewarded and respected for the incredible work they do.

The government has put its money where its mouth is - and for the first time bosses will be in the room, negotiating, with care workers and unions.

But we must remember it is just a first step - carers have suffered a generation of poor pay and need urgent help with sick pay and staffing levels.

Now we have annual negotiations, we are confident they will begin to see these changes.

 Melanie Weatherley MBE, Co-Chair of the Care Association Alliance, said:

The Care Association Alliance welcomes the creation of the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body and the first Fair Pay Agreement for care workers. For too long, the people who provide hands-on care to some of the most vulnerable in our society have not been paid or recognised in line with the skill and responsibility the job demands. 

A national framework for negotiating pay and conditions, alongside the expansion of the Care Workforce Pathway, is a step toward the professionalisation of the sector that our members have been calling for.

We now need to secure the funding to match the ambition, so that providers can deliver on this agreement sustainably. We look forward to working with government on the detail as it is implemented.

Nadra Ahmed CBE, Exec Co-Chairman, National Care Association, said:

This is an important step forward in realising a manifesto promise made by this government. The recognition of the social care workforce will sit central to the success of this first step towards a National Care Service. 

There are still important decisions needed to create a sustainable pathway to the success of this body which will inevitably have to consider how their recommendations are fully funded through the public purse to limit any additional burdens it may put on the viability of an already fragile sector. 

We have been happy to be part of the conversation with decision makers as the voice of sme’s and will continue to watch the evolution with interest.

Lynne Bowers, ASC workforce representative and member of the government’s Expert Consultation Group on the Care Workforce Pathway 

I welcome the Care Workforce Pathway as an important step in recognising, valuing and developing the adult social care workforce. It provides clearer expectations for good care, supports career development, and helps raise the status of care work.

The Pathway creates a shared language for quality, capability and leadership. If implemented in a practical and inclusive way, it can support recruitment, retention and workforce development while improving outcomes for people who draw on care and support. It sends a clear message that care work is skilled work, care workers matter, and investing in the workforce is essential to delivering high-quality care.